Pakistan continues to report a decline in coronavirus cases, with the positivity rate going under 3% for the first time in almost four months on Tuesday.
The last time the country reported a positivity rate below 3% was on February 14 when the positivity rate stood at 2.61%. The positivity rate currently stands at 2.94% across the country.
As many as 57 more people lost their lives to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death tally to 21,376 as per the National Command and Operation Centre’s recent (NCOC) data.
The NCOC tweeted that 1,383 new infections had emerged in the last 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 935,013 across the country.
The number of active cases have reached 46,190, with the nationwide recoveries rising to 867,447.
During the last 24 hours, the most deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Sindh. Out of the total 53 deaths, 18 people died on ventilators.
In Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, there is no patient on ventilator.
According to NCOC’s province-wise breakdown, the total number of cases reported in Sindh so far stands at 324,535, in Punjab at 342,805, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 134,781, Islamabad 81,806, Balochistan 25,893, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 19,538, and Gilgit Baltistan 5,655.
Vaccination drives against coronavirus are underway across the country for all age groups over 18. Sindh has relaxed its coronavirus restrictions which had been in place for the last 15 days.
The decisions were taken during a meeting of the Sindh Coronavirus Task Force on Sunday. Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Education minister Saeed Ghani, Senator Murtaza Wahab, Nasir Shah, police higher-ups, members from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other prominent government officials were also in attendance.
Sindh schools and educational institutions reopened for classes 9 and above a day earlier, while shops and markets have been allowed to remain open till 8pm instead of 6pm. However, all shopkeepers and staffers must get vaccinated for the coronavirus.
Restaurants, too, have opened up for outdoor dining until 12 am. However, restaurants will have to ensure that there is sufficient distance between people sitting in the outdoor areas.
