Pakistan has recorded another six deaths and 515 infections from coronavirus pandemic during the last 24 hours (Friday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday morning.

The latest figures released by the NCOC suggested that after the addition of six new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,933 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,295,933 after adding the fresh 556 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Friday), 51,141 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 1.08 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 629.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1477083582048968705

During the last 24 hours (Friday), as many as 479 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,256,816. As of Saturday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 10,184.

As many as 482,029 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 445,107 in Punjab, 181,402 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 108,666 in Islamabad, 33,638 in Balochistan, 34,662 in Azad Kashmir and 10,429 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 13,070 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,670 in Sindh, 5,930 in KP, 967 in Islamabad, 746 in Azad Kashmir, 364 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- New Year under pandemic cloud -

A New Year shorn of mass celebrations beckons for millions around the world as authorities from Greece to Mexico, from Barcelona to Bali and across swathes of Europe cancel or curtail public gatherings, either closing or imposing curfews on nightclubs.

- South Africa ends curfew -

South Africa, where the highly contagious Omicron variant was first detected, says its latest coronavirus wave has likely passed its peak without a significant increase in deaths and that restrictions will be eased for New Year.

- Philippines tightens rules -

The Philippines tightens coronavirus restrictions in the capital Manila, placing it on the third-highest level of alert from Monday until January 15, over fears of an "exponential growth" in cases due to Omicron.

- Tunisia cancels NY festivities -

Municipal authorities in the Tunisian capital Tunis cite the "rise in cases" of coronavirus for the last-minute cancellation of a concert and other festivities planned for Bourguiba Avenue, the main city-centre thoroughfare.

- Israel starts fourth jab - 

Israel starts giving fourth Covid vaccine shots to people with weakened immunity, becoming one of the first countries to do so in hopes of countering a case surge driven by Omicron.

- England: hospital sick leaves double -

Hospital staff absences due to Covid have more than doubled in a month in England as the virus surge puts strain on beds, according to the National Health Service.

- More than 5.4 million dead -

The coronavirus has killed at least 5,428,240 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to AFP's tally Friday from official sources.

Overall, the United States has recorded the most Covid deaths with 824,339, followed by Brazil with 618,984 India on 481,080 and Russia 308,860.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the World Health Organization estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.

With inputs from AFP.