Pakistan on Friday confirmed 27 deaths in a single day due to novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases surged to 278,892. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 5,967.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 903 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in 24 hours.
Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad. Till now, 121,039 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 92,873 in Punjab, 34,056 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15,014 in Islamabad, 11,732 in Balochistan, 2,073 in Azad Kashmir and 2,105 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Pakistan has so far conducted 1,973,237 coronavirus tests and 20,507 in last 24 hours. At least 247,177 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 1,146 patients are in critical condition.
Punjab reported 218 coronavirus cases and three deaths during the last 24 hours, according to the data available on the government’s portal for tracking the spread of the virus in the country. The provincial tally has risen to 92,873 while the death toll is 2,140.
Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir collectively reported 50 coronavirus cases and three deaths, according to the government’s portal for tracking the spread of the virus. Here is a breakdown of the cases and deaths reported during the last 24 hours: Islamabad: 27 cases, GB: 15 cases, AJK: eight cases, three deaths.
The novel coronavirus claimed 11 more lives and infected at least 489 people during the past 24 hours in Sindh. In a statement on the Covid-19 situation, Murad Ali Shah said that 11 more people died from the novel coronavirus in past 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 2220. He said 489 fresh cases of Covid-19 were reported in the province. “Currently, 8081 patients are under treatment, of them 320 are in critical condition,” he said, adding that 65 patients are on ventilators. He said that 110,738 people have recuperated from the ailment so far in the province.
On the international front, the World Health Organisation (WHO has said there is no ‘zero risk’ strategy for countries easing international travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic and essential travel for emergencies should remain the priority. In a long awaited update to its guidance on travel, the United Nations global health agency said cross-border trips for emergencies, humanitarian work, the transfer of essential personnel and repatriation would constitute essential travel. “There is no ‘zero risk’ when considering the potential importation or exportation of cases in the context of international travel,” it said in the updated guidance posted on its website.
US coronavirus deaths rose by almost 25,000 in July and cases doubled in at least 18 states during the month, according to a Reuters tally, dealing a crushing blow to hopes of quickly reopening the economy. The biggest increases were in Florida, with over 300,000 new cases in July, followed by California and Texas with about 250,000 each. Those three states also saw cases double in June. Cases also more than doubled in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the tally.
