The coronavirus positivity ratio in Pakistan fell to 6% yesterday, according to data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
However, 67 more deaths were reported from coronavirus, which is the highest single-day toll since July.
Last week, the positivity rate across the country reached its highest level of 7.46%.
The NCOC stated that the highest positivity rate was reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur district at 20.62%, followed by Peshawar at 19.58%, Hyderabad at 19.3%, Karachi at 13.86%, Abbottabad at 11.21%, Quetta at 10.76% and Multan at 10.66%.
On November 30, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said that the NCOC had finalised its recommendations for procurement of coronavirus vaccine.
The government allocated initial funds of $150 million to buy a Covid-19 vaccine directly from international manufacturers by the second quarter of 2021. It hopes to start immunising its 220 million population soon.
NCOC data showed that the virus claimed 67 lives in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 8,091. The country’s fatality rate stands at 2% against the global mortality mean rate of 2.3%.
With 2,458 new infections, the country’s total climbed to 400,484. There are 49,105 active cases in the country, out of which 2,165 are critically ill and 282 on ventilators. At least 343,286 have recovered from the virus.
The number of new cases began trending higher over six weeks, with health experts and authorities warning that the second wave may hit harder than the first if SOPs are not followed.
Since the pandemic reached Pakistan earlier this year, a total of 5,549,779 PCR tests have been conducted across the country — 40,969 tests in the past 24 hours only.
With the pandemic progressively getting worse in Pakistan, the government has placed fresh restrictions across the country to prevent the spread of the virus during its second wave.
Following recommendations by the NCOC, the federal government has made face masks mandatory in public spaces, limited large public gatherings to 300, banned indoor weddings, closed shrines, cinemas, and theatres, and instructed public and private offices to adopt work-from-home policy and 50% occupancy.
The federal government also announced that educational institutes will remain closed from November 26 to January 10. The students will study at home or get weekly homework till December 24 and winter vacations will start December 25. The schools will reopen on January 11 subject to coronavirus situation then.
Passengers wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus arrive at the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station in the port city of Karachi yesterday. (AFP)
