ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday reported nine more Covid-19 deaths, which is the lowest daily count of 2021, official data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) revealed.

According to the NCOC data, over the past 24 hours countrywide a total 698 people were tested positive for Covid-19 virus after 42,095 tests were conducted.

For almost a week Pakistan had been recording less than 700 daily coronavirus infections.

There have been 1,269,234 infections and 28,386 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.

In the past 24 hours, a total 666 coronavirus patients have recovered taking the nationwide recoveries tally to 1,216,908, which is almost 96 percent of the total cases recorded in the country since the pandemic outbreak.

Out of 42,095 nationwide coronavirus tests conducted on Sunday, a total 17,710 tests were carried out in Sindh, 12,188 in Punjab, 8,305 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), 2,944 in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 374 in Balochistan, 302 in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), and 272 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Countrywide coronavirus positivity rate was recorded at less than two for the 10th consecutive day at 1.65 percent.

The number of active cases in the country has continuously witnessing a downward trend and was recorded at 23,940 on Monday.

Last week, active cases in Pakistan dropped below the 25,000 mark after more than seven months, while daily coronavirus infections fell to their lowest level in a year.

The Covid-19 infections are decreasing in Pakistan, with 593 new infections reported on average each day.

That is 10 percent of the peak the highest daily average reported on June 17.

Pakistan has administered at least 100,741,762 doses of Covid vaccines so far.

During the last week reported, Pakistan averaged about 657,185 doses administered each day.

At that rate, it will take a further 66 days to administer enough doses for another 10 percent of the population.

Since the pandemic outbreak, out of a total 1,269,234 Covid-19 cases detected in the country, which also included the deaths, recovered and under treatment patients, Sindh with 467,814 cases is on top followed by Punjab with 439,171 cases, KPK 177,519 cases,ICT 106,710 cases, AJK 34,441 cases, Balochistan 33,196 cases, and the G-B 10,383 cases.

Out of 28,386 nationwide coronavirus deaths recorded since the Covid-19 outbreak, Punjab with 12,896 deaths is on top, of which, one death was reported in the past 24 hours, followed by Sindh with 7,551 deaths of which three died in the past 24 hours, KPK with 5,720 deaths, of which five died in the past 24 hours, the ICT with 938 deaths, AJK with 740 deaths, Balochistan with 355 deaths, and GB with 186 deaths.

A total of 20,530,153 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 640 hospitals are equipped with Covid facilities across the country.

Some 1,591 corona patients were admitted to hospitals.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021