The ongoing third wave of COVID-19 has taken 34 more lives during the last 24 hours in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), pushing the provincial death toll to 2,953.

According to statistics by KP Health Department, the province was hit with 1,062 fresh cases on 20th April, taking the total caseload to 106,500.

On the other hand, patients that made a complete recovery in the province are marked at approximately 90,789.

Just a day ago, former Inspector General KP Police, Nasir Khan Durrani passed away after contracting the coronavirus.

Despite the deteriorating situation, the provincial Task Force on COVID-19 has decided to re-open all public and private schools and colleges for in-person classes on 19th April.

Classes will only resume for students of secondary and higher secondary classes (9 to 12). The decision was made in view of the board examinations scheduled for next month.

Meanwhile, Pakistan reported 4,286 coronavirus recoveries during the last 24 hours, according to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) data. The total has risen to 667,131 and the recovery rate is 87 percent.