Pakistan reported nearly 900 new Covid-19 cases during the last 24 hours (Tuesday) as the Omicron variant spread at a blistering pace in the country.

According to the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday morning, there were 898 new infections and five deaths in the country during the last 24 hours (Tuesday).

The latest figures released by the NCOC suggested that after the addition of five new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,950 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,297,865 after adding the fresh 898 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Tuesday), 49,673 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 1.80 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 652.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1478533469441564673

During the last 24 hours (Tuesday), as many as 245 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,298,763. As of Wednesday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 12,213.

As many as 483,648 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 445,940 in Punjab, 181,537 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 108,880 in Islamabad, 33,653 in Balochistan, 34,676 in Azad Kashmir and 10,429 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 13,076 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,675 in Sindh, 5,935 in KP, 967 in Islamabad, 746 in Azad Kashmir, 365 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

 

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Record cases - 
The United States sets a new world record with more than one million cases logged Monday as the Omicron variant continues to spread at a blistering pace.

UK Covid cases top 200,000 in 24 hours for the first time, while nearly 300,000 new daily infections have been recorded in France, according to Health Minister Olivier Veran.

Australia reports a record daily tally of nearly 50,000 cases.

- Omicron in 128 countries -
The highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19 is present in around 128 countries, and it will become dominant "in a matter of weeks", the World Health Organization's Covid-19 incident manager Abdi Mahamud says.

- Israel backs fourth jab -
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says that an Israeli study indicates fourth coronavirus vaccinations were "safe" and increased antibodies "fivefold".

- Belgium eases rules -
Belgium will from Monday ease its rules on testing and quarantine, reducing the period of isolation for asymptomatic and mild positive Covid cases from 10 to seven days.

- Swedish monarchs positive -
The king and queen of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf, 75, and Queen Silvia, 78, have both tested positive for Covid-19 and have "mild symptoms", the Swedish Royal Court says.

- Djokovic to Australian Open -
World number one Novak Djokovic says that he is heading to the Australian Open to defend his title after being granted a Covid-19 medical exemption to play.

- More football woes -
Bayern Munich's Leroy Sane and Dayot Upamecano join the long list of football players hit by Covid-19, as does Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

- Armani cancels shows -
Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani says it will cancel its upcoming January shows in Milan and Paris due to rising Covid cases in Europe.

- Famous French twins die of Covid -
Two French twin brothers, Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff, who became the faces of a famed 1980s science TV programme, die within a week of each other from Covid-19 after refusing the vaccination. 

- More than 5.4 million dead -
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,449,474 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Tuesday.

The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 827,749, followed by Brazil with 619,209, India 482,017 and Russia 312,187.

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.