COVID-19: Pakistan records less than 3,000 infections in 24 hours

According to the latest report from the National Command and Operation Centre, the national count of total active COVID-19 cases dropped to 85,801 on Tuesday as 2,580 additional individuals tested positive for the virus, while 7,240 people fully recovered from the illness in the previous 24 hours (NCOC).

On Monday, 47,419 tests were performed throughout the nation. Pakistan had recorded 2,988 new infections in a single day the day before. Pakistan has recorded fewer than 3,000 coronavirus infections for the first time in more than a month. For the previous month, the daily case count had largely remained in the 3,000-4,000 range.

In the past 24 hours, the national coronavirus positivity rate was 5.44 percent. There are 5,304 individuals in critical condition among the current cases. On 20 of the 22 days since August 24, Pakistan’s positivity rate has been below 7%.

According to NCOC statistics, 78 people died from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 26,865.

A total of 1,210,082 cases have been identified since the pandemic began, including 33,432 cases in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 32,618 in Balochistan, 10,168 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 103,125 in Islamabad, 169,040 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 415,654 in Punjab, and 446,045 in Sindh.

In Pakistan, COVID-19 infections are on the decline, with 3,512 new cases recorded on average each day. That’s 60% of the peak, which occurred on June 17, when the highest daily average was recorded.

So far, Pakistan has given out at least 68,227,337 doses of COVID vaccination. Assuming that each individual requires two doses, it will be enough to vaccinate 15.8% of the country’s population.

Pakistan gave an average of 1,040,926 dosages per day over the latest week reported. At this pace, administering enough dosages for another 10% of the population will take another 42 days.

According to a new directive issued by the Sindh government, businesses and marketplaces in Karachi will stay open on Fridays, after strong resistance from the city’s traders, who demanded a relaxation of business hours and a decrease in the number of “safe days” in the week.

Last month, the Sindh government implemented coronavirus limitations. Due to an increase in coronavirus infections in the city, the provincial government ordered establishments to shut on Fridays and Sundays.

The Sindh government has taken back its decision in an attempt to satisfy the city’s traders and business sector.

“Markets will remain open on Friday,” said Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab, “Markets will remain closed only on Sundays from now on.”

The decision was made, according to the PPP leader, since coronavirus infections in the city have decreased in recent days.

Companies in Karachi and Hyderabad were also told to shut by 8 p.m., while businesses in the rest of the province were told to close by 10 p.m.

While the administration declared Fridays and Sundays to be safe days in Karachi, it announced that businesses in Hyderabad would be closed on Fridays and Saturdays.

The decision drew a lot of criticism from the traders’ community in Karachi and Hyderabad, who accused the government of enforcing one policy for traders in Karachi and Hyderabad and another for dealers in the other areas of Sindh.

Last week, the Karachi Tajir Action Committee staged a hunger strike on the city’s MA Jinnah Boulevard, claiming that the government had permitted merchants in other cities in the province to extend their business hours till 10 p.m.

They also requested that the government allow indoor weddings and indoor eating for vaccinated people.

If the provincial administration did not meet the traders’ requests, the traders vowed to continue their strike.