Pakistan has registered 46 more coronavirus deaths and 1,456 infections during the last 24 hours (Wednesday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday morning. 

As per the NCOC figures, after the addition of 46 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,032 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,255,021 after adding the fresh 1,453 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), a total of 51,343 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 2.82 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 2,934.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1445918092945657858

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), as many as 1,840 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,182,894. As of Thursday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 44,395.

As many as 461,869 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 434,647 in Punjab, 175,212 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 105,930 in Islamabad, 33,026 in Balochistan, 34,299 in Azad Kashmir and 10,338 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 12,744 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,471 in Sindh, 5,613 in KP, 930 in Islamabad, 739 in Azad Kashmir, 349 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Russia deaths rocket -
Moscow reports more than 900 daily deaths for the first time, as the country struggles with high infections driven by the Delta variant and low vaccination rates.

- Moderna 'not for teens' -
Sweden's Public Health Agency recommends a temporary halt to the use of the Moderna vaccine for young adults, citing concerns over rare heart side effects. Neighbouring Norway and Denmark have also stopped using it for under-18s.

- UAE declares victory -
The United Arab Emirates -- which has the world's most advanced vaccination drive -- says it has overcome the Covid crisis, recording its lowest number of infections since summer last year.

- 'Not out of woods' -
The World Health Organization's Covid-19 chief warns that "we're not out of the woods", even if many people think the pandemic is nearly over.

- Football stars not vaccinated -
England's Premier League admits that only seven of its 20 clubs have squads that are more than 50 percent fully vaccinated even though they are now playing in front of full stadiums.

- Irish refusenik -
Ireland striker Callum Robinson sparks fury after revealing he has not been vaccinated despite contracting the virus twice. The West Bromwich Albion player insists he has the right to choose what he does with his body.

- 'Pay for your own tests' -
Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin orders players and backroom staff who refuse to be vaccinated to pay for their own tests. The German side tests its personnel six times a week.

- Anti-vaxxer sidelined -
Brooklyn Nets basketball star Kyrie Irving, who has also refused a jab, had to miss his team's training in New York because of the city's strict Covid rules.

- Markets fret -
Asian and European markets fall over ongoing worries about rising inflation, tighter monetary policy, a possible US debt default and the Delta variant.

- Tourism giant fundraising -
German tourism giant TUI, which has been battered by the pandemic, hopes to raise over one billion euros selling stock to shareholders to pay off debt following virus bailout.

- 4.8 million dead -
The coronavirus has killed at least 4,813,581 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data. 

The US is the worst-affected country with 705,284 deaths, followed by Brazil with 598,829, India with 449,538, Mexico 279,896 and Russia with 212,625.

Based on the latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the US with 1,845, followed by Russia with 929 and Mexico with 790.

With inputs from AFP.