Pakistan continued to witness a rise in its daily coronavirus cases after it reported 1,293 infections on January 6, the highest since October last year as the country's overall tally also crossed 1.3 million.

As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 51,145 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours. Since the start of the pandemic, Pakistan has confirmed 1,301,141 Covid-19 cases. Currently, there are 14,094 active Covid-19 cases and 609 critical cases in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the virus claimed six more lives, taking the fatalities to 28,961. Meanwhile, 239 people recovered during the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 1,258,086.

In a tweet, the NCOC said that 758,688 doses were administered during the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 161,409,693. Earlier this week, the forum announced that 32% of total population and 47% of eligible population have been vaccinated in the country against Covid-19.

NCOC head Asad Umar has said that the authorities are not considering imposing a lockdown in the wake of the Omicron variant. The Planning, Development and Special Initiatives minister added that they are looking at the coronavirus numbers very closely.

Moreover, Sindh, where the Omicron variant has infected 268 people, has also ruled out a lockdown.

While speaking to the media in Hyderabad on Friday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho said that the authorities were not considering imposing a lockdown in the province.

Lockdown option not being considered: Sindh health minister

She said that over 170 Omicron cases have been detected in Karachi, adding that the new variant was rapidly spreading. "The Omicron cases will increase to over 1,000 in the next two months," Dr Pechuho said.

The minister said that the decision on lockdown in the province is dependant on the rate of hospitalisation. "If hospitals start filling up with patients and there is no space left, then we will go towards a lockdown," Dr Pechuho said.