The national tally of active COVID-19 cases in the country on Tuesday reached 34,412 with 1,873 more people testing positive for the deadly virus, while 1,223 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours. Fifty eight corona patients lost their lives during 24 hours and 49 among dead were under treatment in hospitals, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The National COVID Positivity Ratio on Tuesday was recorded at 4.4 percent where 2,228 Coronavirus patients were in critical condition across the country with the number of critical patients rising at a fast pace. The positivity ratio was determined on the basis of positive cases appearing in 100 samples of COVID patients. The highest positivity ratio was observed in Hyderabad which was 25.76 percent followed by Mirpur 18.75 percent and Karachi 11.62 percent, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC). The positivity ratio in various federating units was as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was 12.5 percent, Balochistan 1.38 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 1.33 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 3.42 percent, Punjab 3.86 percent and Sindh had 7.29 percent positivity ratio. During the last 24 hours, most of the deaths had occurred in Punjab, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It added that out of the total 58 deaths, 29 patients died on ventilators. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 38 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 37 percent, Bahawalpur 32 percent and Lahore 37 percent. The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID patient) was also occupied in four major areas of Peshawar 45 percent, Multan 28 percent, Karachi 37 percent and Rawalpindi 23 percent. Around 310 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan. Some 42,587 tests were conducted across the country on Saturday, including 11,709 in Sindh, 18,156 in Punjab, 6,084 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,778 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 290 in Balochistan, 330 in GB, and 240 in AJK. Around 490,126 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 535,914 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 8,855, Balochistan 18,754, GB 4,902, ICT 40,892, KP 65,740, Punjab 154,717 and Sindh 242,054. About 11,376 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 3,900 perished in Sindh among eight of them died on Monday. Four of them died in hospital and four out of the hospital. Also, 4,608 in Punjab had died with 40 deaths in past 24 hours. 35 of them perished in the hospitals and five out of the hospitals. 1,848 in KP where nine of them died in hospital on Monday, 468 in ICT, 193 in Balochistan, 102 in GB and 257 in AJK among one of them succumbed to the deadly virus in hospital Monday. A total of 7,722,829 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 2,703 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country. Pakistan may be receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the first quarter of the year under the World Health Organization’s COVAX programme. The global initiative signed an advance purchase agreement with American pharmaceutical for up to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine candidate – which has already been approved for emergency use by the global health body. A statement issued last week read that the vaccine rollout will commence with the “successful negotiation and execution of supply agreements.” COVAX also confirmed it would receive first 100 million doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) under an existing agreement with the Indian firm. “Of these first 100 million doses, the majority are earmarked for delivery in the first quarter of the year, pending WHO Emergency Use Listing,” read the statement. “A decision on this vaccine candidate is anticipated in the middle of February at the earliest.” The global scheme anticipates another 50 million doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine would be available in the first quarter of this year under an existing agreement with AstraZeneca. “Today marks another milestone for COVAX: pending regulatory approval for the AstraZeneca/Oxford candidate and the successful conclusion of the supply agreement for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, we expect to be able to begin deliveries of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines February,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which leads COVAX procurement and delivery. “This is not just significant for COVAX, it is a major step forward for equitable access to vaccines, and an essential part of the global effort to beat this pandemic. We will only be safe anywhere if we are safe everywhere.” The first tranche of doses would be enough to protect health and social care workers and will be delivered in the first quarter of 2021. The second tranche would be in the second half of the year, aiming to vaccinate 20% of the population by year-end. Additional doses to reach higher coverage will be available in 2022.