Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported as many as 7,963 cases of coronavirus in a single day on Saturday, the second-highest daily caseload since the outbreak of the pandemic in Feb 2020, according to the National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) latest stats on the Omicron-driven fifth wave in the country.

A total of 70,389 samples were tested, out of which 7,963 turned out to be positive, showing an infection rate of 11.31 percent. The nationwide tally of confirmed infections rose to 1,410,033 with the addition of 7,963 new cases.

Moreover, 27 more patients succumbed to the viral disease in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 29,219. The NCOC said the number of patients in critical care in various hospitals across the country has risen to 1375.

As many as 538,196 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 474,208 in Punjab, 190,578 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 125,203 in Islamabad, 34,277 in Balochistan, 36,967 in Azad Kashmir and 10,604 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan had reported the highest number of cases in a single day on Jan 28, Friday since the Covid pandemic hit Pakistan in February 2020.

On Jan 19, the NCOC had announced a new set of restrictions to contain rising Covid-19 cases. It said indoor and outdoor dining, as well as wedding functions, will be allowed only for vaccinated people.

There will be a complete ban on indoor dining and weddings in cities with over 10% Covid positivity ratio with effect from Jan 24, the NCOC said. However, it added, outdoor dining and weddings with the maximum limit of 300 fully vaccinated guests will be allowed.