COVID positivity ratio highest in Gilgit Baltistan, Karachi, AJK

ISLAMABAD: Karachi and parts of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have reported the highest COVID-19 positivity ratio in the country as the government fears that the fourth wave of the infection has begun in the country, ARY NEWS reported on Saturday.

According to sources in National Ministry for Health, the areas in Gilgit Baltistan have witnessed over 15 percent positivity ratio with Gilgit reporting an 18.60 positivity ratio, followed by 16.50 percent in Skardu, and 5.45 percent in Diamer.

Karachi, according to the ministry sources, has reported a ratio of 14.06 percent while its adjoining city Hyderabad has a positivity ratio of 4.33 percent.

Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has reported a 12.38 percent ratio, followed by 2.41 percent in Mirpur.

The federal capital has witnessed a rising trend of COVID-19 cases with a ratio of 5.76 percent, while Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi and Swat reported positivity ratios of 5.33 percent, 4.78 percent, 2.45 percent, and 1.52 percent respectively.

Six districts where the positivity ratio remained below one percent included Multan, Abbottabad, Jhelum, Faisalabad, Charsadda, and Mardan.

Moreover,  Rawalpindi reported 3.81 percent positivity while Lahore, Gujrat and Gujranwala reported 1.84 percent, 2.38 percent, and 1.37 percent ratios respectively.

Pakistan’s COVID tally 

Pakistan reported 1,828 new cases of the coronavirus (Covid-19) during the past 24 hours, taking the country’s virus tally to 971,304.

35 more people succumbed to the deadly disease in a single day, pushing the nationwide death toll to 22,555.

According to the latest National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) updates, as many as 36,454 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours, out of which results of 1,828 patients came back positive.

The infection rate slightly increased to 3.79 percent from yesterday’s 3.65pc, it said.