Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The national tally on Thursday of total active COVID-19 cases recorded 66,994 with 5,329 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 2,610 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours. Ninety-eight corona patients have died during past 24 hours, 90 of whom were under treatment in hospital and eight out of the hospital in their respective quarantines or homes, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
During the last 24 hours most of the deaths had occurred in the Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Out of the total 98 deaths occured during last 24 hours, 31 of the deceased had died on ventilators during their treatment.
The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 81 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 58 percent, Gujranwala 84 percent and Lahore 75 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 Swat 63 percent, Gujranwala 85 percent, Peshawar 83 percent and Gujrat 73 percent.
Around 467 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan.
Some 49,816 tests were conducted across the country on Wednesday, including 9,411 in Sindh, 21,325 in Punjab, 8,292 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 8,433 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 816 in Balochistan, 474 in GB, and 1,065 in AJK.
Around 623,399 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 705,517 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 13,873, Balochistan 19,999, GB 5,070, ICT 63,499, KP 94,880, Punjab 240,584 and Sindh 267,612.
About 15,124 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 4,520 have perished in Sindh among four of them died in hospital in past 24 hours. 6,793 in Punjab had died with 62 deaths occured in past 24 hours. 55 of them in the hospital and seven out of hospital. 2,519 in KP where 23 of them died in hospital on Wednesday, 591 in ICT among three of them died in hospital on Wednesday, 212 in Balochistan, 103 in GB and 386 in AJK among five of them succumbed to the deadly virus in hospital and one out of hospital on Wednesday. A total of 10,584,877 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 4,726 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.
Meanwhile, In the midst of the pandemic, the daily statistics in the Sindh province released Thursday show at least 358 fresh cases have been reported in the 24-hours out of 9,392 cases conducted.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in his daily Covid briefing that daily deaths attributable to Covid stood at one today while 6,126 patients are under treatment at present. The CM confirmed the 208 of all 358 cases reported today belong to Karachi.
Separately to happen today, as Pakistan continues its hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine for its population of more than 220 million, the country is expected to start the local production of the Sputnik V vaccine in collaboration with Russia in the coming months.
