With Karachi on top, COVID positivity ratio crosses 11pc in Pakistan

KARACHI: COVID positivity ratio has witnessed an alarming surge across the country after it crossed over 11 percent nationwide with Karachi on top of all with a 41.06 percent ratio, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources within the national health ministry, the nationwide positivity ratio reached 11.55 percent during the last 24 hours with Sindh province reporting a ratio of 21.77 percent, Punjab 7.23 percent, Balochisan 4.74 percent, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 2.88 percent.

The federal regions including Islamabad reported 15.37 percent positivity ratio, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 6.07 percent, and Gilgit Baltistan 2.17 percent.

Moreover, with respect to major cities, Karachi remained on top with a 41.06 percent COVID positivity ratio, followed by 25 percent in Muzaffarabad, 17.27 percent in Hyderabad, 14.25 percent in Lahore, and 12.75 percent in Rawalpindi.

It has further emerged that children and health workers have also been affected by the infection during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 led by the Omicron variant.

Pakistan’s COVID tally 

Pakistan has recorded nearly 7,000 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day rise since the outbreak, according to official statistics released on Thursday.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a total of 58,943 samples were tested, out of which 6,808 turned out to be positive at the positivity rate of 11.55% as compared to yesterday’s 9.48%.

With the emergence of fresh cases, the countrywide tally of cases has jumped to 1,345,801.

Five more patients of COVID-19 succumbed to the viral disease in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 29,042. The number of critical patients rose to 918.

Pakistan has conducted 24,356,373 tests so far to diagnose the deadly virus and 1,265,665 people have regained their health including 426 in the past 24 hours.