COVID-19 positivity ratio hits high of 8.53% in Pakistan

The rate of positivity of COVID-19 infections reached 8.53% in Pakistan on Monday.

There are a total of 5,082 smart lockdowns in place across the country to control the spread of COVID-19, according to the National Command and Operation Center.

2,839 new coronavirus cases reported on Monday, bringing the total confirmed cases to 398,024. Forty deaths were also recorded over 24 hours taking the virus toll to 8,025. 

Here’s the breakdown of cases across provinces: 

Islamabad: 30,123
Sindh: 173,014
Punjab: 119,035
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 47,190
Balochistan: 17,158
Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 6,855
Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,649

The NCOC revealed that 1,459 smart lockdowns are in place in Punjab, 206 in Sindh, 182 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3,205 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 30 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Azad Jammu and Kashmir is under a complete lockdown till December 6.

Hospitals across the country are once again nearing capacity as a second wave of the virus builds momentum. 

Meanwhile, clinical trials of a Chinese-made vaccine are underway in five hospitals across Pakistan. These are last stage trials before a vaccine is rolled out. So far, more than 7,000 volunteers have registered for the vaccine developed by CanSinoBio and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology. 

No serious adverse effects have been reported after inoculation and doctors say interest in the trial is growing. 

On Monday, Minister for Planning and NCOC head Asad Umar said that the recommendations for the procurement of the vaccine have been finalised and will be shared with the cabinet on Tuesday for approval. 

NCOC today finalized its recommendations for procurement of covid vaccine. These will be presented to the cabinet tomorrow for approval. The taskforce of experts headed by SAPM health Dr. Faisal Sultan had developed the recommendations which were discussed and finalized today

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) November 30, 2020