Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded no new deaths from coronavirus for a second straight day on Thursday, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
Pakistan’s death toll from the pandemic stood at 30,333 as of March 24, the same as the number of deaths reported on the previous day, government data showed.
The nation confirmed its first death from the coronavirus on March 18, 2020, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The patient, Saadat Khan, had just returned from Saudi Arabia and tested positive the same day.
Meanwhile, the number of positive cases rose by 210 to 1.52 million on Thursday from the previous day, the data showed. The infection numbers are far lower compared to other countries, such as India.
The positivity rate was recorded at 0.69 percent, the NCOC said, which added the number of patients in critical care across the country declined to 445.
Last week, the government announced the lifting of all coronavirus-related restrictions, following declining infections across the country. Announcing the decision in Islamabad, Umar, who also leads the anti-virus strategy, said the country is “returning to normality.”
“We need to gradually return towards a normal, ordinary life because it seems that the pandemic will continue and become a part of our lives,” he said, adding “that is why the government has decided to lift all Covid-related restrictions.”
All the schools, colleges, government offices, and transport were allowed to operate at full capacity, whereas the ban on indoor dining and wedding halls has also been lifted.
About 101 million people in Pakistan, or 46 percent of the population, have had two vaccine doses.
The government authorised booster doses for citizens over the age of 30 in January. Children over the age of 12 are also being offered vaccinations at their schools.
