Pakistan reports 68 deaths, 4,455 new Covid cases in 24 hours

(Karachi) At least 68 people lost their lives while 4,455 new Covid infections were reported in the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) stated on Sunday.

The overall coronavirus death toll has reached 23,865.

The NCOC said that the total number of recovered patients in Pakistan stands at 961,639 and the number of overall confirmed cases has risen to 1,067,580. The Covid-19 positivity rate in Pakistan stands at 8.09 percent.

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At least, seven people are in critical condition.

Overall, Sindh province is the most affected region of the country with 398,745 infections, followed by Punjab which has reported 363,644 cases so far. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains third on the list with 147,973 cases. Islamabad recorded 90,503 cases, Balochistan 31,138, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 26,874 and Gilgit Baltistan has reported 8,703 new infections so far.

In wake of the surge in Covid cases, the Sindh government enforced a complete lockdown in Karachi and other major cities.

However, NCOC chief Asad Umar disagreed with the idea. He stated that instead of imposing a complete lockdown, SOPs-enforcement should be the priority.

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Later, responding to his statement, Sindh Government Spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that it is not sure whether Karachi would undergo a complete lockdown but it would be “something like that.”

However, he ruled out any consideration of the NCOC’s advice, saying the provincial government is not bound to follow the federal government’s line.

The NCOC decided to take all possible measures to assist the Sindh government in combating the rising trend of the disease.

In addition, measures were undertaken by the federal government to ramp up critical care capacity and provide oxygenated beds and vents, and availability of oxygen in hospitals.

The NCOC also decided to ramp up deployment of LEAs for the implementation of SOPs and NPIs.

Earlier in March, the Covid positivity rate rose to above 10 percent. In April, it gradually declined and reached eight percent. Then again, the positivity rate started declining and in May it was reported lower than seven percent.

However, in June the positivity rate continued to decline and remained below four percent.