ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported 3,070 coronavirus cases during the past 24 hours, which took the national toll to 242,740 cases, of which 5,024 deaths and 145,311 recoveries, national and provincial health authorities reported on Thursday.
According to data released by the provincial authorities here, the country lost 79 lives during the past 24 hours, which took the national tally to 5,024.
The government of Sindh reported 40 deaths during past 24 hours, Punjab 26, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa nine, the Islamabad Capital Territory two, Gilgit-Baltistan one, Azad Jammu and Kashmir also reported one death, while Balochistan has not reported any death due to Covid-19.
Punjab's coronavirus tally has risen to 84,587, after the province reported 988 new cases, according to the government's Covid-19 portal.
The province also reported 26 additional fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,955.
More than 51,000 people have recovered from the virus in the province, according to the portal. Sindh's tally crossed the 100,000 mark after the province reported 1,538 cases during the past 24 hours.
In a statement, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that 9,860 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours.
With the new cases, the provincial total has risen to 100,900. He added that another 40 people also died during this time period, taking the death toll to 1,677. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported 354 new cases taking the provincial total to 29,406. According KP health department, nine more lives were lost in the province taking the total to 1,063.
The health department said that 712 patients had recovered taking the tally to 19,503.
Balochistan has reported 133 more cases of the novel coronavirus, raising the provincial tally to 11,052.
According to the daily situation report issued by the provincial health department, the death toll in the province stands at 124. Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have collectively recorded 131 cases and three fatalities in the last 24 hours. The breakdown is as follows: Islamabad: 81 cases, two deaths; GB: 10 cases, one death, and the AJK 26 cases and one death.
According to health professionals and media reports, the government has significantly reduced Covid-19 testing in Punjab, the KP, and Balochistan as a result, a decline in COVID-19 cases is seen in above mentioned three provinces, with daily test numbers falling to around 24,000, from over 32,000 in June.
According to the federal government, Pakistan's daily Covid-19 testing capacity is above 71,000 tests per day but over the past few days there is a gradual decline in testing observed across the country especially in the Punjab, the KP, and Balochistan. The Balochistan government during first nine days of July has conducted just 3,329 coronavirus tests across the province and reported 576 cases.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020