Ten more succumb to coronavirus, 424 test positive

ISLAMABAD: The novel coronavirus claimed ten more lives across the country in the past 24 hours, taking the number of people dying of the highly contagious disease to 6,328.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 424 people tested positive for the contagion during this period, bringing the national tally of cases to 297,014.

As many as 21,744 samples were tested, out of which 264 turned to be positive.

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The number of active coronavirus cases stands at 8,761 as 281,925 patients have recuperated. Besides, 1,054 Covid-19 patients are under treatment in 735 hospitals across the country, out of whom 90 are on ventilators.

So far, more than 2.6 million tests have been conducted across the country.

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According to Reuters, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October.

The timing of a vaccine has taken on political importance as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks re-election in November, after committing billions of federal dollars to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, which has killed more than 180,000 Americans.