Daily Covid cases see a slight dip

Marginal drop recorded with 650 fresh cases: positivity ratio down from 4.47 per cent to 3.88 per cent

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Sunday recorded a marginal drop in Covid-19 cases with 650 Covid-19 cases, 168 less than the previous day, bringing down the countrywide positivity ratio from 4.47 per cent to 3.88 per cent.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), 16,755 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours and at least 138 patients were in critical care, up from 126 a day earlier.

The NIH data showed Swabi with the highest positivity ratio at 42.8 per cent, followed by Karachi's 21.3 per cent.

Earlier in a statement, health minister Abdul Qadir Patel said that the government was taking several measures to control the surge in cases and advised people to follow the government’s guidelines in order to avoid the virus, including using face masks and maintaining social distance.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has been holding meetings on a daily basis to overview the virus situation in the country, he had said.

"But we want the public to adopt precautionary measures and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) religiously."

A spokesperson for the ministry of health stated that guidelines issued by the NCOC for government offices should be followed, which include complete vaccination, wearing a mask and frequent hand washing.

According to the spokesperson, the social distance must be maintained in offices and social distance should be ensured during all acts of worship including prayers. Hand sanitizers should also be present at office entrances and washrooms, whereas shaking hands should be avoided.