Pakistan continues battle against uptick in COVID-19 numbers as Omicron spreads

By
Web Desk
A man wearing a protective mask walks through a crowd of people along a makeshift market as the outbreak of the coronavirus continues, in Karachi, January 17. — Reuters/File
A man wearing a protective mask walks through a crowd of people along a makeshift market as the outbreak of the coronavirus continues, in Karachi, January 17. — Reuters/File

  • Pakistan logs 7,978 new COVID-19 infections, pushing country's positivity ratio to 12.46%.
  • New coronavirus infections place Pakistan's number of active cases at 100,005.
  • 29 more people succumb to coronavirus, taking country's COVID-19 death toll to 29,248.


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's active COVID-19 case count stayed over the 100,000 mark for the second consecutive day, National Command and Operation Centre's (NCOC) data showed Sunday morning, as the country's positivity rate is again on the rise after a slight decline.

The stats issued by the NCOC suggested that 7,978 new infections were detected overnight after 64,016 diagnostic tests were conducted across Pakistan.

The new cases pushed the countrywide positivity ratio to 12.46% and the current number of active cases stand at 100,005.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases reported so far jumped to 1,417,991.

The first time Pakistan's active case count crossed the hundred thousand mark was on Saturday, when the country logged 104,095 cases, as per the NCOC. However, the tally was lowered as 12,019 patients suffering from COVID-19 recuperated overnight.

Meanwhile, 29 patients succumbed to coronavirus during the last 24 hours, taking the country's COVID-19 death toll to 29,248.

The NCOC has extended coronavirus curbs in the country from January 31 till February 15, as thousands continue to contract the infection amid a spread of the Omicron variant.

The NCOC had imposed non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on January 19, which were to be reviewed on January 27 in light of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The restrictions for the wedding sector were already imposed till Feb 15.