Pakistan on Friday reported its lowest coronavirus positivity rate in three months, at 3.58%, according to the latest stats provided by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
The last lowest Covid-19 positivity rate reported by the country was on February 28, at 3.02%.
The national tally of total active Covid-19 cases was recorded at 51,478 on Friday, as 1,893 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 3,431 people recovered from the disease. Eighty-three corona patients died on Friday, 74 of whom were under treatment in hospitals and nine in their respective quarantines or homes, according to the NCOC. On Friday, most of the deaths occurred in Punjab and Sindh provinces. Out of the total 83 deaths, 34 were under treatment on ventilators. There are 3,557 Covid-infected patients under treatment in critical care in various Covid-dedicated healthcare facilities.
The maximum ventilators are occupied in four major areas including Peshawar 31 percent, Lahore 31 percent, Bahawalpur 36 percent and Multan 62 percent. The maximum oxygen beds are occupied in four major areas of Abbottabad 35 percent, Bahawalpur 33 percent, Karachi 35 percent and Multan 37 percent. Around 430 ventilators are occupied elsewhere in the country while no Covid-affected person is on ventilator in Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
Some 52,859 tests were conducted across the country on Thursday, including 15,741 in Sindh, 21,908 in Punjab, 8,255 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 4,319 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,655 in Balochistan, 354 in GB, and 627 in AJK. Around 856,005 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 928,588 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 19,388, Balochistan 25,476, GB 5,623, ICT 81,540, KP 133,746, Punjab 341,390 and Sindh 321,425. About 21,105 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. A total of 13,420,779 tests have been conducted so far, while 639 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 3,846 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.
Meanwhile, the scheduled vaccination for citizens of age group 18 to 29 years has already been launched. According to an official of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, the vaccination registration was already continuing across the country as Pakistan’s vaccine supply continues to improve and the country’s vaccination capacity gets enhanced day by day. He said that the country has locally finished a coronavirus vaccine with the help of Chinese experts as the vaccine named PakVac has passed rigorous internal quality control checks and testing at the National Institute of Health (NIH) with the help of Cansino Bio Inc. China.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Friday said more than 7.9 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines had been administered in the country due to extensive efforts of the federal government.
Responding to ‘undue’ criticism of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto on policy responses of the federal government to Covid-19, he said the oxygen production capacity was also scaled up to ensure effective fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “Per day production of oxygen has risen to 800 metric tonnes from 400 metric tonnes,” he added in a statement.
Among other initiatives, Farrukh Habib said, the daily testing capacity for Covid-19 was increased to 50,000. He asked Bilawal to highlight the Covid-response of his party’s Sindh government instead of criticizing the federal government, which had been praised by the international institutions, including the World Health Organization for its overall strategy, including smart-lockdown to contain the pandemic.
Bilawal, he said, should share the details as to how much coronavirus vaccine was procured by the PPP government for the people of Sindh. “Bilawal Sahib should inform the public that how many initiatives have been taken by the Sindh government to contain the coronavirus.”