Pakistan has recorded four more deaths and another 789 coronavirus infections during the last 24 hours (Wednesday), showed the statistics released by the National Institute of Health Pakistan on Thursday morning, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

As per the NIH data, the death toll in the country now moved up to 30,503 after adding the four fatalities while the number of total infections now stood at 1,557,134 after adding the fresh 789 cases. All the four deaths were reported from Sindh.

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), 21,741 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 3.63 percent. The number of patients in critical care was recorded at 160.

https://twitter.com/NIH_Pakistan/status/1555000662831792130

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), another 460 patients have recovered from the Covid-19 in Pakistan and the number of total recoveries now stood at 1,517,492. As of Thursday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 9,139.

As many as 591,442 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 514,905 in Punjab, 221,617 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 137,669 in Islamabad, 35,826 in Balochistan, 43,756 in Azad Kashmir and 11,919 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

As many as 13,589 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 8,194 in Sindh, 6,330 in KP, 1,028 in Islamabad, 793 in Azad Kashmir, 378 in Balochistan and 191 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Australia's winter Covid-19 wave may have peaked early

Australia's COVID-19 winter outbreak fuelled by the new Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 may have peaked early, Health Minister Mark Butler said on Thursday, as hospitals reported a steady fall in admissions over the past week.

Australia is battling one of its worst flare-ups of the coronavirus driven by the fast-moving new Omicron sub-variants, putting severe strain on hospitals and retirement homes. But Health Minister Mark Butler flagged the worst could be over.

That is what I'm hearing but we're not calling it yet," Butler told Nine News. "We are quietly hoping that we have reached the peak earlier than we expected to."

Health officials predicted the latest wave could peak only later this month, with some states expecting the spike in infection rates and hospital admissions to ease by late August. "It does seem clear cases are starting to peak and maybe drop off in some states and very pleasingly, hospital numbers have dropped off," Butler said.

Hospital admissions from COVID-19 hovered near the 5,000 level on Thursday but have fallen from the record 5,571 reached a week ago, official data showed.

Butler said influenza infections had passed their peak, relieving pressure on the health system.

Australia has endured a tough winter with COVID-19 and the flu virus circulating. Many frontline workers in hospitals are also sick or in isolation, worsening the healthcare crisis.

Data also showed a lag in people taking booster shots, with only about 71 per cent getting their third dose versus 96 per cent who have had two doses, raising concerns of a surge in hospital cases.

The government said on Wednesday it would offer from September Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for children aged six months to below five years who are at higher risk of developing severe illness.

Australia has reported just over 9.5 million cases and 12,072 deaths since the pandemic began, far lower than many countries helped by world-beating vaccination numbers and strict restrictions earlier in the pandemic.

Sinovac vaccine approved for use in children above 6 months of age in Hong Kong

Sinovac Biotech Ltd, a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced that based on related clinical trials and studies of vaccination for local children and adolescents, the Health Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China has approved the Company’s COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac), intended for children aged 6 months to 3 years.

The vaccination schedule for this age group follows the same vaccination schedule of older children. Three doses of vaccines will be used for children aged six months to under three years of age, with the first two doses given 28 days apart followed by a third dose at least 3 months after the second dose, and there is no restriction on the application for immunosuppressed children.

The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases under the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, joined by the Chief Executive's expert advisory panel, issued the consensus interim recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months or above in Hong Kong on August 1, 2022.

SINOVAC initiated its COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac) phase III clinical studies among children aged 6 months to 17 years since 2021. Preliminary results show the vaccine has a good safety and immunogenicity profile, with no severe adverse reaction reported 6 months after two doses of vaccination among children aged 6 months to 35 months.

CoronaVac has been authorized for emergency use for minors and adults above 3 years old in Hong Kong since February 15, 2022. As of August 2022, CoronaVac has been approved for use in minors in 14 countries in Latin America that include Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, as well as in other countries in the Asia and Africa regions.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., (SINOVAC) is a China-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases.

SINOVAC’s product portfolio includes vaccines against COVID-19, enterovirus 71 (EV71) infected Hand-Foot-Mouth disease (HFMD), hepatitis A and B, seasonal influenza, pneumococcal disease, H5N1 pandemic influenza (avian flu), H1N1 influenza (swine flu), varicella, mumps, and poliomyelitis.

The COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac ® , has been approved for use in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide. The Healive ® , hepatitis A vaccine, passed WHO prequalification requirements in 2017. The EV71 vaccine, Inlive ® , is an innovative vaccine commercialized in China in 2016. In 2022, SINOVAC’s Sabin-strain inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV) was prequalified by the WHO.

SINOVAC was the first company to be granted approval for its H1N1 influenza vaccine Panflu.1 ® , which has supplied the Chinese government's vaccination campaign and stockpiling program. The Company is also the only supplier of the H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccine, Panflu ® , to the Chinese government stockpiling program.

SINOVAC continually dedicates itself to new vaccine R&D, with more combination vaccine products in its pipeline, and constantly explores global market opportunities. SINOVAC plans to conduct more extensive and in-depth trade and cooperation with additional countries, and business and industry organizations.

With inputs from AFP.