In what many analysts caution could become a worrying trend, Pakistan witnessed a slow rise in Covid cases with 1400 people testing positive in the last 24 hours according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
The NCOC, which releases daily reports, also reported 34 deaths in its Saturday report.
This brings the death toll to 22,379 since the pandemic began. The positivity rate stands at 2.91 per cent, the fourth consecutive day where the positivity rate has stood over 2 per cent.
Although Pakistan was reporting under 1,000 cases two weeks before, a rise was witnessed a few days ago.
According to NCOC, 48,027 tests were conducted on July 2 of which 1,400 returned positive. The total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan are currently 32,319.
At least 906,387 people have recovered so far across Pakistan, making it a significant count. According to NCOC’s figures, the total number of cases has reached 961,085.
The rise in cases comes after Pakistan saw a few days of the lowest numbers of cases reported and the running average stayed under 1,000 cases. The sudden rise in the cases of viral infection may suggest the coming of the fourth wave of cases.
Vaccination drive
Although around five per cent of Pakistan’s total and 10 per cent of its eligible population has got at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the country is still one of the low-ranked countries where pace of vaccination remains very slow.
The data of federating units show that 35 per cent of eligible people have been vaccinated in Islamabad but only 3 per cent of people opted for vaccination in Balochistan. In Sindh and Punjab, around 10 per cent of people have received at least one shot.
The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) claimed that vaccine acceptance was not a big issue, but a majority of people wanted to get vaccinated near their residences and long waiting time kept them away.
While the world’s 25pc population has been vaccinated, 20pc people in India and Malaysia, 40pc in Turkey, over 50pc in the United States and 65pc in Israel and United Kingdom have got at least one shot.
More vaccines
Pakistan on Friday received 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine from the US, with a senior American official in the federal capital confirming that Washington would be sending more in future.
Charge d’ Affaires at the US embassy Angela P. Aggeler said the vaccines, which arrived at Islamabad International Airport, would save lives and help Pakistan emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, which had devastated so many families and communities in both countries.
“Together with the Pakistani government and our international partners, including Covax and Unicef, we will work to ensure that the vaccines are distributed as quickly and safely as possible,” she said.
