Pakistan records spike in Covid-19 cases

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded a spike in Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed on Thursday.

The country’s top platform overseeing Covid response said a total of 41,131 samples were tested during this period, out of which 460 turned out to be positive, taking the caseload to 1,280,822.

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The infection rate was recorded at 1.11 per cent, higher than 0.84 per cent recorded yesterday. The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 28,638 after ten more people succumbed to the viral disease.

The number of Covid-19 patients in critical care in hospitals across the country come down to 1,044.

Statistics 18 Nov 21:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 41,131
Positive Cases: 460
Positivity %: 1.11%
Deaths : 10
Patients on Critical Care: 1044

— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) November 18, 2021

On Wednesday, the National Command and Operation Centre issued directives for ramping up Covid-19 vaccination once the ongoing immunisation drive against measles and rubella is over.

Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, who heads the NCOC, chaired a meeting in Islamabad.

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The meeting reviewed the pandemic situation and vaccination drive and directed all the relevant authorities to scale up vaccination once the ongoing campaign to inoculate children against measles and rubella draws to an end.

The platform pondered the national vaccine strategy and instructed the provinces to get ready for large-scale Covid vaccination.