COVID-19: Pakistan's active number of cases reaching 80,000 mark

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan increased to 79,992, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 79,992 on Friday.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said that 4,745 individuals tested positive for the illness in the last 24 hours, out of a total of 57,981 who were tested.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in Pakistan now stands at 8.18 percent.

On Thursday, 67 individuals died of the illness, bringing the overall number of fatalities to 23,702.

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity rate rose to 9.06 percent, the first time the country has had a positivity rate over 9% in almost three months.

On May 10, the nation had a coronavirus positive rate of 9.12 percent.

The newest statistics from Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) revealed a significant rise in the number of daily cases, fatalities, and active cases as the country fight a devastating fourth wave of the virus.

After 62,462 testings, the NCOC detected 5,661 new coronavirus infections in the previous 24 hours.

The COVID-19 claimed the lives of another 60 individuals, bringing the total number of people killed in the country to 23,635. There are currently 77,409 active cases.

According to NCOC statistics, the number of recovered patients is 952,616 and the overall number of cases in the country is 1,053,660.

Sindh has 392,433 cases, 146,485 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 360,494 in Punjab, 89,117 in Islamabad, 30,880 in Balochistan, 25,778 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 8,473 in Gilgit-Baltistan, according to a province-by-province breakdown.

The government of Sindh has ordered a partial lockdown till August 8, while the governments of Punjab and AJK have also imposed partial lockdowns. Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Faisalabad are all under lockdown in Punjab.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday issued revised restrictions for inbound international travellers as the fourth wave of COVID-19 gripped the country and the government imposed curbs to control the spread of virus.

CAA in a letter sent to airlines operating in the country said that new restrictions will come into forces from August 9.

The new SOPs include:

All inbound passengers aged six years or above will be required to possess a valid negative PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan.
All passengers aged six and above will undergo Rapid Antigen Testing upon arrival in Pakistan.
Positive-testing passengers between the ages of six and 12 years will be home quarantined under the supervision of the concerned civil administration.
Positive-testing passengers above 12 years of age will be quarantined at a designated facility as per procedure already in vogue.

Earlier this year, the government had revoked the condition for passengers whose RAT tests returned negative to isolate in their homes.

Previously, those testing positive were required to quarantine themselves in their homes rather than in any government facilities.

However, the rules have been revised as the CAA has made it mandatory for passengers, who test positive, above 12 years of age to quarantine at a designated facility.

“Considering the volatile nature of the COVID-19 situation, any or all arriving passengers may also be subjected to additional stipulations as mandated by the relevant health authorities upon arrival in Pakistan,” the advisory added.