Pakistan has recorded 20 more deaths and 471 infections from the coronavirus pandemic during the last 24 hours (Saturday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday morning. 

As per the NCOC data, after the addition of 20 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,538 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,276,711 after adding the fresh 471 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), a total of 43,348 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 1.08 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 1,233.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1457160409585229825

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), as many as 493 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,225,363. As of Sunday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 22,810.

As many as 471,733 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 441,051 in Punjab, 178,577 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 107,131 in Islamabad, 33,332 in Balochistan, 34,493 in Azad Kashmir and 10,394 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 12,946 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,595 in Sindh, 5,769 in KP, 944 in Islamabad, 741 in Azad Kashmir, 357 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Russia registers record infections -
Russia reports a record number of daily coronavirus cases as the country reaches the end of a nationwide paid holiday introduced to curb the spread of infections.

Saturday's official tally registered 41,335 new cases in the past 24 hours, the country's highest number for new infections since the beginning of the pandemic. 

- India Covid hospital fire kills 11 -
Fire tears through a hospital in western India killing at least 11 coronavirus patients, officials say.

There were about two dozen patients at the intensive care unit in the hospital in Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra state, when the fire broke out, officials say. Most of the dead were aged over 60. 

- Masks on French pistes -
Wearing a mask will be compulsory in queues for ski lifts in French resorts and the country's health pass, proving vaccination, will also be required there if the national infection rate exceeds 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Prime Minister Jean Castex announces.

- Austria tightens virus rules -
Austria says only those vaccinated or cured from coronavirus will be allowed to frequent restaurants, hotels and cultural venues as the Alpine nation battles a surge in cases.

The new rule takes effect on Monday with a four-week transition phase to incentivise people to get jabbed, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says.

- Thousands protest against French health pass -
Some 28,920 people in France turn out to demonstrate against the coronavirus health pass, in the 17th consecutive weekend of rallies, the interior ministry says.

- More than five million dead -
The coronavirus has killed more than 5.03 million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Saturday at 2100 GMT. 

The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths with 753,937, followed by Brazil with 609,060 and India with 460,285.

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

With inputs from AFP.