The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 5,234 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in Pakistan, the highest count since June 2020.
The NCOC indicated that a nationwide uptick in COVID-19 cases could cause a significant increase in deaths as 3,384 patients are in critical condition.
According to NCOC data, the nationwide positivity rate for cases is now 10 per cent. The NCOC data showed that 50,170 tests were conducted and 83 people lost their lives due to coronavirus, taking the number of deaths to 14,613 so far.
In Punjab, 51 people died of coronavirus, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seven people were killed by the virus. In Sindh and Balochistan, the deaths remained low. Only two people died in Sindh and while one death was reported in Balochistan. In Azad Kashmir, three deaths were reported.
Meanwhile, the total numbers of confirmed cases in Pakistan are now 678,165.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan refused to impose a blanket lockdown across Pakistan to curb the number of cases.
The prime minister had commented that Pakistan could not afford a complete lockdown as the daily-waged class would be adversely impacted.
The PM had said that for now the government will continue its policy of smart lockdowns, and he emphasised the need to exercise even more caution during the third wave of the coronavirus.
