The national tally of total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Sunday climbed to 34,701 with 2,521 more people testing positive for the deadly virus, while 1,540 people recovered from the coronavirus during the last 24 hours. As many as 43 coronavirus patients,40 of whom were under treatment in hospitals, died on Saturday, 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 Punjab, followed by Sindh. It added that out of the total 43 deaths during the last 24 hours, 22 patients died on ventilators. No COVID-19 affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan, while 334 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 49 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 35 percent, Bahawalpur 55 percent and Lahore 35 percent. The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID-19 patient) was also occupied in four major areas of Peshawar 45 percent, Multan 38 percent, Karachi 39 percent and Rawalpindi 26 percent. Some 41,191 tests were conducted across the country on Saturday including 13,936 in Sindh, 14,186 in Punjab, 6,242 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,477 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 688 in Balochistan, 372 in GB and 290 in AJK. Around 473,639 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 519,291 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 8,606, Balochistan 18,569, GB 4,882, ICT 40,019, KP 63,339, Punjab 149,222 and Sindh 234,654. About 10,951 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 3,775 perished in Sindh, including the six who died on Saturday. Five of them died in hospitals. Similarly, 4,409 have died in Punjab, with 22 deaths in the past 24 hours. Twenty of them perished in the hospitals. Also, 1,779 people died in KP, including the six who died in hospitals on Saturday, while 456 died in ICT, including six who passed away the other day, Moreover, 190 died in Balochistan, 101 in GB and 241 in AJK, including three people who succumbed to the deadly virus on Saturday. A total of 7,367,622 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with COVID-19 facilities. Some 2,876 coronavirus patients were admitted in hospitals across the country. On the other hand, NCOC chief Asad Umar has asserted that provinces and private entities are allowed to import anti-coronavirus vaccines approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan (DRAP). “From day 1, the NCOC has adopted the policy that the federal government shall not have the monopoly to import anti-coronavirus vaccines,” the federal minister in a talk show on Saturday. “Provinces and private entities including hospitals have been allowed to import the vaccines that are approved by DRAP.” Umar was responding to Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho seeking the federal government’s permission to directly negotiate with foreign governments and private companies for vaccine procurement. “Once a vaccine has been approved by the regulatory authority, it can be imported by provinces as well as private hospitals,” he explained. “In fact, I would encourage not only Sindh but other provincial governments to import it as well.”