Active Covid cases fall below 33,000

The national tally of active Covid-19 cases fell below 33,000 on Thursday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which serves as the unified national effort against the coronavirus pandemic, said in its daily update of the disease.

It said that the tally of active cases was recorded at 32,936, as 1,097 more people tested positive for the virus while 1,131 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours. The national positivity ratio during the past 24 hours was 2.38%, it added.

Also during the past 24 hours, the update said, 38 patients, of whom 35 were in hospitals, including 17 on ventilators, died, raising the nationwide death toll since the pandemic’s outbreak to 22,108. On Tuesday, it added, most of the deaths, 16, occurred in Punjab, followed by 10 in Sindh.

At present, 2,084 Covid infected patients were under treatment in critical care in various Covid-dedicated healthcare facilities, including 276 on ventilators. Overall, 2,322 coronavirus patients were admitted to various hospitals across the country.

The national caseload of the disease stood at 951,865, of whom 896,821 people have made full recovery, making it a significant count of over 90% recovery ratio. A total of 14,279,084 coronavirus tests had been conducted so far, the NCOC update said.

Read: Covid positivity ratio drops to 2.59%

Moreover, the NCOC organised a briefing session for members of the diplomatic corps and international organisations based in Islamabad to highlight the “successful efforts of the government” against the coronavirus pandemic.

NCOC Chairman Asad Umar outlined multiple dimensions of Pakistan’s national response. NCOC National Coordinator Lt Gen Hamood Uz Zaman, Special Assistance to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood were also in attendance.

The participants were given a detailed briefing, showcasing Pakistan’s response to Covid-19. Officials also highlighted various strands of country’s strategy to tackle the pandemic. The briefing included an appraisal of the current level of disease in Pakistan vis-à-vis its prevalence regionally and globally.

Participants were also briefed on various aspects of ‘smart’ and ‘micro smart’ lockdown strategy as well as its success in containing the spread of the disease. Besides, statistics on disease outlook, vaccination strategy of the government, ability of the healthcare system to cope with the existing requirements as well as its future capacity building were highlighted.

Umar, who is also the planning minister, stressed the need for joint global strategy and response to fight the pandemic. He also called for uninterrupted and even supply of vaccines globally for early eradication of the pandemic.

Participants thanked the NCOC for the comprehensive briefing and appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of the disease in the country.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)