Another 64 people lost their lives due to coronavirus whereas 1,519 new infections were reported across Pakistan during the last 24 hours (Wednesday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday morning.

As per the latest NCOC data, with the addition of 64 fatalities, the death toll has surged to 13,076 while the number of total confirmed cases stood at 585,435, after adding 1,519 new ones.

During the past 24 hours (Wednesday), 987 patients have recovered from the virus while the number of total recoveries stood at 555,242. The total count of active cases throughout Pakistan was 17,117.

As many as 258,904 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 174,191 in Punjab, 73,007 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 44,921 in Islamabad, 19,084 in Balochistan, 10,371 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,957 in Gilgit Baltistan.

As many as 5,480 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab, 4,388 in Sindh, 2,096 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 503 in Islamabad, 307 in Azad Kashmir, 200 in Balochistan and 102 in Gilgit Baltistan.

A total of 40,473 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours (Wednesday) while 9,097,413 samples have been tested so far.

Global developments

These are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Spain toll tops 70,000 -

Spain's coronavirus death toll surges past the 70,000 mark, health ministry figures show. However, the number of daily infections continues its downward trend as the country appears to turn the corner of the third wave of infections.

- Biden advises against easing curbs -

US President Joe Biden warns that Covid-19 measures must stay in place if the pandemic is to be beaten, after Texas and Mississippi defied the federal government and dropped their mask-wearing mandate.

- Greece extends lockdown -

Greece extends its coronavirus lockdown to March 16 and calls on additional private health resources as it posts its highest rate of daily infections this year.

-- Record Brazil deaths -

Brazil registers 1,910 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, its second straight daily record, adding to its quarter of a million toll that is second-highest in the world after the United States.

- Vaccines boost -

Pharma giant Merck is to produce Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine to boost supplies in the US in an unprecedented cooperation between rivals.

- Jabs arrive in Africa -

Millions of shots from the free Covax scheme arrive in Nigeria, Angola and DR Congo following deliveries to Ghana and Ivory Coast last week, as African countries ramp up jab campaigns. 

- Test centre blast -

An explosion shatters windows at a Dutch test centre but causes no injuries, weeks after another Covid test site was burned down during riots against a curfew.

-- India vaccine -

Indian pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech says its domestically developed vaccine, criticised for being rolled out before final trials, was found in interim late-stage data to have almost 81 percent efficacy in preventing Covid-19 infection.

- Fake vaccines seized -

Police in China and South Africa have seized thousands of fake doses of Covid-19 jabs, global police organisation Interpol says, warning this represents only the "tip of the iceberg" in vaccine-related crime.

- Pele gets jab -

Brazilian football great Pele, 80, gets a jab, posting the moment on Instagram and urging people not to let down their guard against the virus.

- Plasma trials halted -

US experts are halting clinical trials of convalescent blood plasma in patients with mild to moderate virus symptoms after preliminary results showed no benefits. 

- Australia closed -

Australia extends its year-long border closure by at least three months to mid-June, continuing the country's self-imposed isolation.

- Women's rugby delayed -

The 2021 women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand is set to be postponed until next year because of the pandemic.

- 2.5 million dead -

The virus has killed at least 2,549,910 people since it emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

The US is the worst-affected country with 516,616 deaths, followed by Brazil (259,271), Mexico (187,187), India (157,346) and Britain (123,296).

With inputs from AFP.