ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported more than 4,500 cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, while the positivity ratio has surged to 7.79% as the situation spirals out of control amid the fourth wave.
The latest figures from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 4,537 cases and 86 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,024,861 while the death toll stands at 23,295.
According to the official portal, the positivity ratio was surged to reach 7.79%. There are 3,117 people in critical condition including 33 new patients in the previous day. Overall 938,843 people have recovered from the virus, including 1,489 in the past day.
There were 58,203 tests conducted in the previous day leading to new cases. The number of active cases in the country has also increased to 62,723 amid the recent surge in cases.
Sindh is the worst affected region due to rising number of cases amid the presence of the Delta variant. The province has recorded 377,231 cases and 5,947 deaths while the number of active cases has surged to 39,975.
Punjab has recorded 355,483 cases and 11,019 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province has reached 12,386. Islamabad has recorded 86,945 cases and 799 deaths while there are 3,031 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 143,213 and 4,444 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 30,162 cases and 327 deaths. Gilgit Baltistan had recorded 8,008 cases and 137 deaths while Azad Kashmir has recorded 23,819 cases and 622 deaths.
Vaccination deadline
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, has announced a number of measures to ensure vaccination of people against CO VID-19 in high-risk sectors.
The minister said only those people will be allowed to travel by air from August 1 who would have taken at least one vaccination shot.
He said teachers will have to get themselves vaccinated before August 1 to continue their responsibilities in educational institutions. He said those transporting the students to schools and colleges will have to get the vaccination shots by August 31.
He added that the students aged eighteen and above will also have to receive the vaccination jab by August 31. The deadline for vaccination has also been set for the public sector employees, law enforcement agencies, transport sector and the staff working in hotels, restaurants, wedding halls and banks.
Asad Umar said that about 851,000 vaccine doses were administered last day and their target is to cross the mark of one million doses in a single day.
