By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The national tally on Thursday of total active COVID-19 cases was recorded 44,236 with 1,303 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 1,978 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours. Seventy-six corona patients have died during past 24 hours, 67 of whom were under treatment in the hospitals and nine out of the hospitals in their respective quarantines or homes, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
During the past 24 hours, most of the deaths have occurred in the Punjab followed by Sindh. Out of the total 76 deaths occurred in the last 24 hours 41 of them had died who were under treatment on ventilators. There were 2,967 Covid infected patients under treatment in critical care in various Covid dedicated healthcare facilities in past 24 hours.
National Covid positivity ratio during past 24 hours was recorded 3.1 percent. It may be mentioned here that the Covid positivity ratio was the percentage of actual positive cases appearing in every 100 tests performed to identify infected individuals. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Islamabad 21 percent, Lahore 27 percent, Bahawalpur 26 percent and Multan 48 percent. The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID patient) was also occupied in four major areas of Abbottabad 30 percent, Peshawar 28 percent, Karachi 30 percent and Multan 30 percent.
Around 361 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in Balochistan, and Gilgit Baltistan (GB). Some 41,824 tests were conducted across the country on Wednesday, including 13,972 in Sindh, 11,497 in Punjab and 10,375 in KPK.
