Pakistan logs over 4,000 Covid-19 cases on second straight day

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan logged more than 4,000 Covid-19 cases for the second straight day, as the Omicron variant of the virus continues to push infection rates across the country amid the fifth wave of the pandemic, data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed Sunday, says a Geo News report.

As per the latest statistics of the NCOC, a total of 51,236 tests were conducted in the country in the last 24 hours, of which 4,027 came back positive. Pakistan’s positivity rate now stands at 7.8 percent.

Meanwhile, nine more patients succumbed to the virus in the same period and the condition of 752 patients was stated to be critical. A day earlier, Pakistan had reported 4,286 daily Covid-19 cases -- the highest number of cases since August 25, 2021.

The positivity ratio also shot up to 8.16 percent, the highest since August 11, when 52,522 tests were conducted across the country, according to the NCOC data.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus positivity ratio in Pakistan's biggest city is about to touch 40 percent, as Karachi reported 2,412 fresh cases overnight. The new infections were detected after 6,124 diagnostic tests were conducted in the last 24 hours,

According to health department officials, Karachi's positivity ratio jumped to 39.39 percent from 35 percent within the same duration. Federal health officials told Geo News that they expected the situation in Karachi to change in the coming week as the positivity ratio might hit 50 percent, leading to an increase in hospitalisations.

The officials also said that daily cases were expected to shoot up to 6,000. Meanwhile, the Sindh government has directed authorities to deduct one day’s salary of all government officials and employees who do not wear a face mask, Geo News reported on Sunday.

The directives have been issued in view of the rising cases of COVID-19 in the province. On Saturday, a meeting of the provincial coronavirus task force was chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at the CM House during which Shah stated that officials who do not wear masks will face a fine.