As Pakistan fights the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, provincial capitals Karachi and Lahore reported an increase in coronavirus infections on Monday.
On Monday, Karachi reported a concerning coronavirus positivity rate of 21.40 percent. The Sindh government opted to lift the nine-day curfew despite the high number of illnesses recorded in the metropolis.
On Monday morning, shops, marketplaces, shopping malls, and other businesses that had been shuttered due to the provincial government’s lockdown orders reopened.
Lahore, on the other hand, recorded the highest positivity ratio since the coronavirus pandemic’s fourth wave began. On Monday, the Old City recorded a coronavirus positive rate of 9.2 percent.
The coronavirus positivity ratios in Rawalpindi and Islamabad were 16 percent and 5%, respectively. Pakistan, on the other hand, reported a small decrease in coronavirus infections on Monday, with the country’s positivity rate falling to 7.54 percent.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre, Pakistan’s daily COVID-19 numbers have been slightly decreasing over the past three days, with 4,040 new cases recorded on Monday.
The positivity rate has dropped to 7.54 per cent, according to the NCOC’s latest statistics.
After 53,528 COVID-19 tests were performed in the past 24 hours, 4,040 additional cases were discovered. The overall number of cases now stands at 1,071,620.
Although there is a little decreasing trend in daily numbers, active cases continue to rise, with the most recent total of 83,298 cases.
Another 53 people have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Pakistan reported 95 COVID-19 fatalities two days earlier, the greatest single-day toll during the pandemic’s current fourth wave.
So far, 964,404 patients have recovered, while 23,918 people have died.
Overall, coronavirus infections in Pakistan haven’t decreased much, although Sindh’s lockdown has been lifted as of today. The Sindh government has issued revised COVID-19 restrictions that would run till August 31.
The United Arab Emirates has altered its policy on Pakistani travellers once again, requiring them to undergo a quick PCR test four hours before departure. Thousands of travellers wanting to return to the UAE have been delayed due to the lack of testing facilities at airports.
According to the Khaleej Times, Pakistani airlines are now in talks with healthcare professionals in the country to set up quick PCR testing facilities at airports so that travellers travelling to the UAE don’t have any issues.
Pakistan on Thursday announced to start vaccinating its citizens under 18 years of age who want to travel abroad for education or other reasons.
Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan talking to a private news channel said that people aged 16-18 can receive vaccination doses if they have to go abroad.
He said that the teenagers will be required to get registered by sending an SMS on the government helpline 1166, and later they will be provided information about a health centre.
More than seven million people in Pakistan, to date, are fully vaccinated while the government aims to inoculate 70 per cent of its population by the end of this year.
Pakistan launched the vaccination drive in February and it was open for all people aged above 18.
