ISLAMABAD: Pakistan continues a witness a worsening situation on Saturday, as the number of critically ill patients from the coronavirus crossed one thousand for the first time.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 6,540 cases and 12 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached 1,360,019 while the death toll stands at 29,077.
The positivity ratio was recorded at 11.10%, although this was marginally lower than 12.93% recorded a day earlier. which was the highest since the pandemic started. The number of active cases has increased to 63,344 after the recent surge in cases. There were 58,902 tests conducted in the previous day leading to new cases.
There are 1,055 people who still remain in critical condition including 94 new patients in the previous day. Overall 1,267,598 people have recovered from the virus, including 1,119 in the past day.
Statistics 22 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 58,902
Positive Cases: 6540
Positivity %: 11.10%
Deaths :12
Patients on Critical Care: 1,055— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) January 22, 2022
Sindh has recorded the highest number of cases and remains the worst affected region. The province has recorded 520,415 cases and 7,730 deaths while there are 38,558 active cases.
Punjab has recorded 460,335 cases and 13,100 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province has risen to 15,439. Islamabad has recorded 115,939 cases and 975 deaths while there are 6,943 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 183,865 and 5,969 deaths, while Balochistan has reported 33,855 cases and 367 deaths. Gilgit Baltistan has recorded 10,480 cases and 187 deaths while Azad Kashmir has recorded 35,130 cases and 749 deaths.
Amid the surging number of cases, the NCOC announced that all schools with a high COVID-19 positivity ratio will remain closed for one week across the country. It further added that provincial administration, in consultation with district health, education authorities, and school administrations, are to set a threshold of cases for deciding such closures.
The NCOC added that COVID testing in education institutes was carried out in major Omicron hit cities to ascertain disease spread among students and ensure accurate disease mapping. Therefore, keeping in view the results, the NCOC has decided to conduct aggressive testing in education institutes for next two weeks especially in high disease prevalence cities.
Federating units to carry out special vaccination drives in schools to ensure 100% vaccination of students over 12 years of age. However, a spokesperson for the Sindh Education Department added that a decision related to schools’ closure will be made once the notification is officially received.
