COVID-19 positivity rate surpasses 19% in Karachi

KARACHI: The port city has become the most affected part of the country by COVID-19, with 19.09% positivity ratio, it emerged on Thursday.

As per the statistics of the health department, 390 new COVID-19 infections were detected after 2043 diagnostic tests were conducted over the past 24 hours in Karachi. 

Meanwhile, Hyderabad reported 0.15% positivity rate during the same period. However, Sindh’s overall positivity rate stands at 7.29% as of Saturday morning.

Country’s COVID-19 case count at 3.5-month high

The COVID-19 cases in Pakistan are rising with every passing day with 641 fresh infections recorded in the last 24 hours, National Institute of Health, Islamabad's (NIH) data showed today morning.

This is the highest number of cases reported since March 13, 2022.

According to the NIH, the new cases were detected after diagnostic testing on 18,813 samples.

However, a slight drop was recorded in the COVID-19 positivity ratio as compared to the previous day. The current positivity ratio stands at 3.41%.

The NIH data showed that 119 patients are currently being treated in intensive-care units at different medical facilities across the country. However, two deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours.

Govt decides to ‘fully activate’ NCOC

A day earlier, the federal government decided to "fully activate” the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in light of the rising coronavirus cases across the country.

A statement from PM Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an NCOC meeting, where he expressed concerns over the rising COVID-19 cases and issued directives to revive Pakistan’s coronavirus response forum.

The premier ordered district and provincial authorities to strictly implement protective measures and take other steps to keep the deadly virus at bay.