ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reports over a hundred deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, as it continues to grapple with the fourth wave of the novel coronavirus.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 3,559 cases and 101 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,163,688 while the death toll stands at 25,889.
The positivity ratio was recorded at 6.63% across the country. There were 53,637 tests conducted in the previous day leading to new cases. The number of active cases in the country surged to 93,901.
There are 5,690 people who remain in critical condition including 148 new patients in the previous day. Overall 1,043,898 people have recovered from the virus, including 4,140 in the past day.
Sindh has recorded the highest number of cases in the country. The province has recorded 432,637 cases and 6,910 deaths while the number of active cases has reached 50,715.
Punjab has recorded 394,738 cases and 11,915 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province has reached 25,702. Islamabad has recorded 99,516 cases and 866 deaths while there are 6,045 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 162,402 and 4,988 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 32,248 cases and 339 deaths. Gilgit Baltistan had recorded 9,916 cases and 173 deaths while Azad Kashmir has recorded 32,248 cases and 698 deaths.
Vaccination for age 17
The government has started the vaccination drive for people aged 17 years or above in a bide to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Earlier, people who were 18 or older were being immunised against coronavirus in the country.
Last week, Asad Umar, the head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), and Dr Faisal Sultan, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, announced new steps and plans to combat the coronvirus cases.
They announced that 17-year-olds will be able to receive coronavirus vaccine shots from September.
They also said Pakistan is preparing to offer inoculations to 15-year-olds and disclosed the government’s vaccine mandates for anybody intending to travel or attend school.
The government will shortly begin an immunisation campaign for people aged 15 to 16 years, with a date to be announced soon, adding that residents with impaired immune systems aged 12 and up will also receive the COVID-19 shots.
