Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 1,283,886 on Saturday after 411 new cases surfaced in the country during the last 24 hours.
Overall 475,097 cases were confirmed in Sindh, 442,876 in Punjab, 179,888 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 33,471 in Balochistan, 107,601 in Islamabad, 10,411 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 34,542 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 44,598 tests were conducted in last 24 hours while positivity ratio remained 0.92%.
According to the government's COVID-19 portal, the death toll related to coronavirus has reached to 28,704 with 7 fatalities reported during the last 24 hours.
Over the last twenty four hours, total number of recovered COVID-19 patients across the country reached 1,241,589 after another 300 virus recoveries were reported.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday classified the B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa as a SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern,” saying it may spread more quickly than other forms.
Preliminary evidence suggested there is an increased risk of reinfection and there had been a “detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology,” it said in a statement after a closed meeting of independent experts who reviewed the data.
Infections in South Africa had risen steeply in recent weeks, coinciding with detection of the variant now designated as omicron, WHO said.
It is pertinent to mention that the global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 260.948 million and death toll tops 5,207,568.