ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 2,783 cases of coronavirus on Saturday. According to the NCOC, a total of 49,247 people were tested for the infection on Friday, with 2,783 of them testing positive. This brings the country’s overall positivity rate to 5.65%. The country had previously reported an increase in the virus’s positivity rate, which had risen to 6.17 percent. In May, Pakistan’s positivity rate surpassed 6% for the first time in almost two months. In Pakistan, 39 people have died as a result of the infection in the last 24 hours. Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has risen to 986,668, with 45,579 active cases. In terms of recovery, 918,329 people have recovered from the infection, while 22,759 have died as a result of the virus. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan, said earlier this week that the upcoming Eidul Adha festival will be celebrated in a “limited, closed” environment, implying that more restrictions will be imposed to prevent the virus from spreading amid fears of a fourth wave. The minister spoke about the recent increase in coronavirus cases and the federal government’s response. When asked if Eidul Adha will be observed in Pakistan under lockdown conditions, the minister responded that the festival should be observed in a “limited, closed” environment. He mentioned the new Delta coronavirus variant, saying that the mutations in each new variant make it very easy to “jump from one person to another.” “This variant is spreading at a pace of 50-60%,” he said. The Federal Parliamentary Health Secretary Dr. Nausheen Hamid, revealed on Tuesday that the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which first appeared in India, now accounts for half of all infections in Pakistan. The lawmaker stated that the COVID-19 vaccines being administered in Pakistan are effective against the Delta variant. Dr. Hamid said that no vaccine is 100 percent effective against the Delta variant; however, if a person receives the vaccine, the virus will not have a negative impact on their health.