Pakistan has recorded 19 more deaths and 580 infections from the coronavirus pandemic and in a further sign of easing of the Covid-19 spread, the authorities have decided to ease air travel restrictions from November 10.

The figures released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday morning showed that Pakistan has registered 19 more deaths and 580 infections from the coronavirus pandemic during the last 24 hours (Wednesday). 

As per the NCOC statistics, after the addition of 19 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,496 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,275,158 after adding the fresh 580 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), a total of 43,901 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 1.32 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 1,247.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1456065893297950721

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), as many as 554 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,224,085. As of Thursday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 22,577.

As many as 470,978 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 440,678 in Punjab, 178,318 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 107,022 in Islamabad, 33,280 in Balochistan, 34,489 in Azad Kashmir and 10,392 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 12,936 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,579 in Sindh, 5,757 in KP, 941 in Islamabad, 741 in Azad Kashmir, 356 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Air travel restrictions easing

Inbound air travel in Pakistan will operate at “full quantum” from November 10 owing to the downward trend in coronavirus cases, the National Command and Operation Centre announced.

According to the new rules, the following countries have been placed in Category C. This means that passengers from these countries will have to fulfill the test criteria. The countries are: Armenia, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Iraq, Mexico, Mongolia, Slovenia, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, Germany, and the Philippines have been placed under the category of high-risk countries but no restrictions have been placed on them. Afghan nationals on foot can enter Pakistan without a vaccination certificate, but Covid testing and quarantine will be mandatory for travellers.

The NCOC added that a negative coronavirus test report is, on the other hand, mandatory for all passengers. Complete coronavirus vaccination too is mandatory for travellers.

All passengers of and above six years, whether locals or foreigners, will have to carry a negative PCR test report before boarding the plane.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- India's Covaxin gets WHO emergency approval -

The World Health Organization issues an emergency use listing for the India-made Covaxin vaccine, a move expected to increase Covid-19 jabs available in poor countries.

The vaccine, made by India's Bharat Biotech and with a 78-percent efficacy rate after two doses over a month "is extremely suitable for low- and middle-income countries due to easy storage requirements," the UN body says.

- 'Pandemic of unvaccinated' -

Germany is struggling with a "massive" pandemic of the unvaccinated, says Health Minister Jens Spahn, with a third of the population not fully covered or reluctant to get jabbed.

With the worst case figures since May, he called for tougher measures to stop the health system being overloaded.

- Ukraine anti-vaxxers rally -

Over a thousand people rally in central Kiev to protest a coronavirus vaccination drive and new restrictions imposed to contain a surge in infections.

Ukraine has recently reported record numbers of daily coronavirus cases and deaths, while only 20 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.

- Georgia destroys 17,000 vaccine doses -

Health officials in Georgia sound the alarm over the slow pace of coronavirus vaccinations, after some 17,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had to be destroyed because they expired.

The Black Sea nation is in the midst of a devastating new wave of the pandemic despite vaccines being widely available.

- Pfizer cash in -

Pfizer says its profit and revenue outlook is even higher than it thought, predicting vaccine sales of $36 billion (31 billion euros) this year, more than twice its initial estimate.

- Halloween curse -

Peru's interior minister Luis Barranzuela resigns after reports of a Halloween party at his home in violation of Covid rules.

The South American country has been hit hard by the pandemic, with over 200,000 dead -- the world's highest death rate per capita.

- Cops face the sack -

More than a quarter of police staff in Los Angeles -- the largest sheriff's department in the US -- could lose their jobs for refusing to comply with vaccine mandates, the sheriff says.

Just half of Los Angeles County Sheriff employees are fully vaccinated a month after local rules came into force.

- Philippines airlift -

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte orders an airlift of vaccines into the provinces to bypass "gridlocks" in jab distribution he blames on local governments.

- Greenlight for US kids -

American children aged five to 11 are now allowed to get the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, a move hailed by President Joe Biden as a "turning point" in the fight against the pandemic.

- Hibs floored -

Scottish Premiership club Hibernian have postponed their next two games after an outbreak leaves the Edinburgh football club unable to field a team.

- Row over Greek church Covid exemptions -

The Greek government comes under fire for exempting churches from new health restrictions in the face of rising cases as the powerful Orthodox Church continues to defy anti-Covid measures.

- Over five million dead - 

The coronavirus has killed at least 5,014,792 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Wednesday at 1700 GMT. 

The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths with 749,064, followed by Brazil with 608,071, India with 459,191, Mexico with 288,733 and Russia with 242,060.

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

With inputs from AFP.