Overall positivity ratio in Pakistan has neared 10 percent in the last 24 hours, a day after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced that provinces would impose new SOPs in the next 48 hours.
As many as new 5,034 were reported in the last 24 hours after 53,253 tests were conducted across the country, taking the positivity ratio to 9.45 percent, according to NCOC data released on Tuesday morning.
The positivity ratio was the highest since May 8, 2021, while the daily infections were last registered below 5,034 on August 5, 2021 at 4,745 cases.
Following is the infection rate in big cities of the country:
- Karachi — 38.79%
- Hyderabad — 14%
- Lahore — 12.87%
- Gujranwala — 15%
- Nowshera — 10%
- Islamabad — 8.86%
- Rawalpindi — 7.60%
- Peshawar — 7.24%
The country also reported 10 more deaths, raising the toll to 29,029, official figures showed, with overall cases reaching 1.33 million after the detection of fresh infections.
All provinces will impose a new set of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and COVID-19 SOPs amid a spike in coronavirus cases, the NCOC said in a statement issued after its meeting on Monday.
The NCOC had called a meeting of provincial health and education ministers to decide the future of schools and new NPIs as the rising cases of Omicron variant worry the authorities.
The statement said the participants of the meeting discussed a new set of NPIs keeping in view the disease prevalence, following which, it was decided that the NPIs will be enforced by the provinces in the next 48 hours after consultative process with all stakeholders.
Meanwhile, uncertainty prevailed for parents and students as the NCOC did not make a decision after its meeting on whether schools across the country will be closed or not, saying it will first look at the data of positivity rates of various institutions.
“Decision about education institutions will be taken on data of positive cases of various institutions for which massive testing in education institutions is being carried out,” the NCOC had said.
Earlier on Monday, Punjab Minister for Education Murad Raas had said no decision had been taken on closing schools and other educational institutions in the province.
He noted that the main reason behind the spread of coronavirus was public gatherings.
Raas said the government had recommended 50 percent attendance of students who were under 12 years old.
