ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Friday, reported the highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in February 2020 as a total 8,183 people tested positive for coronavirus after 68,624 tests were conducted with a positivity ratio of 11.92 percent.

According to the Covid-19 data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the country registered 30 coronavirus deaths, which is the highest number of deaths since October 6,2021 when a total of 39 people died of the Covid-19.

Following the arrival of Omicron Covid-19 variant in the country with the start of 2022, the coronavirus cases are continually witnessing an increasing trend. After the detection of 8,181 new Covid-19 cases, the national tally has reached 1,402,070 since the start of the pandemic, while with 30 new Covid-19 deaths, the national death toll has reached 29,192 since the outbreak of the Covid-19.

According to the NCOC, in the past 24 hours, a total 1,786 Covid-19 infected people have recovered taking the total number of recuperations to 1,274,657. Moreover, the number of active cases stands at 98,221, of which, 1,353 are in critical condition and admitted to various Covid-19 dedicated health facilities.

According to latest district-wise stats, Peshawar has become the worst-hit Covid-19 city with a positivity ratio of 29.65 percent, followed by Karachi ranked second-most affected city with 27.92 percent positivity, Muzaffarabad with 26,40 percent, Mardan 22.73 percent, Hyderabad 20.59 percent, Multan 20.58 percent, Gilgit 18.33 percent, Islamabad 17.13 percent, Nowshera 17.01 percent, Abbottabad 12.93 percent, Swabi 11.21 percent, and Mirpur 11.04 percent.

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On account of Covid-19 cases, Sindh is the most-affected province of the country with 535,965 infections, of which, 2,469 infections were detected in the past 24 hours, followed by Punjab with 471,925 cases of which 2,385 cases were traced in the past 24 hours, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) with 189,300 infections of which 1,317 cases were detected in the past 24 hours, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) with 123,648 cases of which 1,550 cases were reported in the past 24 hours, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with 36,465 cases of which 383 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, Balochistan with 34,187 infections of which 56 were registered in the past 24 hours, and Gilgit-Baltistan with 10,580 cases of which 23 cases were detected in the past 24 hours.

On account of coronavirus deaths, Punjab is the worst-hit province with 13,132 Covid-19 deaths of which six deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours followed by Sindh with 7,785 Covid-19 deaths of which 20 deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, KPK with 5,989 deaths of which three deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, ICT with 979 deaths, AJK with 752 deaths, Balochistan 367 deaths, and GB 188 deaths of which one death was recorded in the past 24 hours.

The Covid-19 situation in the federal capital has also become serious as 260 health workers of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) have also fell prey to the coronavirus. On the other hand, the second biggest hospital of the federal capital government Polyclinic hospital has closed down out-door patient (OPD) service up to February 5, owing to the spread of coronavirus cases.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022