ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Monday, placed India in list of Category C countries for two weeks in the wake of spread of Indian variant of Covid-19.

The NCOC meeting held here under the chairmanship of Asad Umar decided to place India in the list of Category C countries for two weeks.

"There will be a ban of inbound passengers coming from India via air and land route. In view of presence of Indian Virus in other countries, review of Category C countries will be carried out on 21st April".

The meeting was also attended by National Coordinator NCOC, which was briefed on the spread of new Indian variant (double mutant variant) that is being considered responsible for present disease surge in India.

In view of prevailing Covid-19 situation, the NCOC has decided that all education institutions including universities, Madaris, tuition centres, will remain closed in high positivity districts with eight percent and above till further orders.

Meanwhile, Balochsitan government has also decided to shutdown educational institutes following surge in Covid-19 positivity, which has crossed 10 percent level.

The country, Monday reported 5,152 Covid-19 cases and 73 coronavirus deaths, taking the national tally of cases to 761,437 and deaths to 16,310, since the pandemic outbreak in February 2020.

According to the NCOC, over the past 24 hours, 3,362 coronavirus patients have recovered taking the national tally of recoveries to 662,845, since the Covid-19 breakout in Pakistan. At present, there are 82,276 active Covid-19 cases 4,515 are in critical situation. Out of 73 Covid-19 patients who died in the past 24 hours, 71 were under treatment in various hospitals and two out of the hospital in their respective quarantines or homes. According to the NCOC, of the 73 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, 19 of them were on ventilators. The Punjab and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) are the worst-hit Covid-19 regions in the third wave of the coronavirus as in past 24 hours, while KPK reported 32 deaths and Punjab 27.

Sindh with 272,729 coronavirus cases is on top followed by Punjab with 270,338 cases, KPK with 106,500 cases, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) with 70,079 cases, Balochistan with 20,940, Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 15,669 cases, and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) with 5,182 cases.

Punjab with 7,457 Covid-19 deaths is on top followed by Sindh with 4,553 deaths of which two died in the past 24 hours, KPK with 2,899 deaths, the ICT with 642 deaths of which six died in the past 24 hours, the AJK with 439 deaths of which six died in the past 24 hours, Balochistan with 223 deaths, and G-B with 103 deaths is on the bottom of the list.

At present, Nowshera with 100 percent ventilators' occupancy is on top followed by Gujranwala with 88 percent, and Multan and Lahore with 81 percent. The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of Covid patient) was also occupied in four major areas of Mardan 77 percent, Gujranwala 85 percent, Peshawar 74 percent and Gujrat 71 percent.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021