Covid cases pass half a million mark
A medical worker in a protective suit collects a swab sample from a middle school student during a mass nucleic acid testing following a recent coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Xingtai, Hebei province, China January 6, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS
The country’s coronavirus caseload has surpassed the half a million mark, with 2,899 new infections reported on Sunday.
The total number of active Covid-19 cases reached 34,803 as 2,899 more people tested positive for the deadly virus. With these cases, the total number of Covid cases so far detected in Pakistan rose to 502,416.
Forty-six (46) virus patients lost their lives out of which 41 were under treatment in hospitals and five others in their respective homes or quarantines, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the country’s nerve center for anti-Covid initiatives.
In the last 24 hours, most of the deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Sindh. Out of the total 46 deaths, 24 patients died on ventilators. No Covid affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan (G-B).
The maximum numbers of ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 51%, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 33%, Bahawalpur 41% and Lahore 34%.
The maximum Oxygen beds – the alternate oxygen providing facility administered as per medical requirement of Covid patients – were also occupied in four major areas with Peshawar 49%, Multan 34%, Karachi 35% and the ICT 31%.
Some 44,410 tests were conducted across the country on Saturday, including 14,572 in Sindh, 17,613 in Punjab, 5,993 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 4,998 in the ICT, 511 in Balochistan, 350 in the G-B, and 373 in the AJK.
Around 456,969 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 86% recovery ratio of the affected patients.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 502,416 cases have been detected so far.
Some 8,478 coronavirus patients have so far been detected in the AJK, 18,373 in Balochistan, 4,879 in the G-B, 39,120 in the ICT, 61,148 in the K-P, 144,909 in Punjab and 225,509 in Sindh.
About 10,644 deaths have been recorded in the country since the start of the contagion. Around 3,693 people died in Sindh including 14 deaths on Saturday. 4,260 people have died in Punjab with 18 deaths in the last 24 hours.
1,718 deaths have been recorded in the K-P with 10 deaths on Saturday. 439 people have died of the virus in the ICT with three deaths on Saturday. 188 people have died in Balochistan with one death on Saturday. 101 have died of the virus in the G-B and 235 in the AJK so far.
A total of 7,088,014 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 623 hospitals are equipped with Covid facilities. Some 2,804 virus patients are admitted in hospitals across the country. APP