Pakistan has reported another 693 coronavirus infections and no death during the last 24 hours (Thursday), showed the statistics released by the National Institute of Health Pakistan on Friday morning.

As per the NIH data, the death toll in Pakistan remained the same at 30,413 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,541,645 after adding the fresh 693 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Thursday), 21,137 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 3.28 percent. The number of patients in critical care was recorded at 165.

Most cases 441 were reported in Sindh, followed by 142 in Punjab and 45 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

https://twitter.com/NIH_Pakistan/status/1545225133547192320

During the last 24 hours (Thursday), another 379 patients recovered from the Covid-19 in Pakistan and the number of total recoveries now stood at 1,501,886. As of Friday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 9,346.

As many as 584,802 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 509,269 in Punjab, 220,253 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 136,513 in Islamabad, 35,611 in Balochistan, 43,428 in Azad Kashmir and 11,769 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

As many as 13,579 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 8,122 in Sindh, 6,324 in KP, 1,026 in Islamabad, 793 in Azad Kashmir, 378 in Balochistan and 191 in Gilgit Baltistan.

 

Australia offers fourth Covid shot to over-30s

Australia will offer a fourth Covid-19 vaccine to everyone over 30, health authorities said Thursday, as hospitals bulge with patients in a winter wave of infections.

The government said it is recommending a fourth jab for over 50s -- but also offering it to everyone over 30 despite benefits to the younger age group being unclear.

It followed a recommendation by the top immunisation advisory body, which said it recognised younger people might want a winter booster dose, even though its impact for them "is uncertain but likely to be limited".

Australia had previously recommended a fourth Covid shot only to people over 65 as well as to vulnerable groups, including those with weakened immune systems.

As new, more infectious Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 race through the population, the number of Australian hospital patients with Covid has jumped by more than 1,000 in a month to about 3,900, with 140 people now in intensive care.

"This is placing real pressure on our health and hospital systems," Health Minister Mark Butler told a news conference as he announced the decision.

More than 95 percent of people over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated in Australia, where few people now wear a mask or take measures to socially distance.

As restrictions are gradually dismantled in a country that previously shut its international borders for nearly 20 months to exclude the virus, Australia this week dropped all vaccine certificate requirements for foreign visitors.

Hong Kong suspends 'not effective' Covid flight ban

Hong Kong's new government on Thursday suspended a longstanding flight route ban that penalised airlines for bringing in coronavirus cases and severely impeded travel into the city, saying it was "not very effective".

The financial hub has become increasingly isolated under harsh pandemic restrictions as it mirrors a lighter version of China's strict zero-Covid policy, with the once busy Hong Kong airport now a relative aviation graveyard. 

On Thursday, new city leader John Lee's government said the "circuit breaker" rule was being suspended to "achieve the most in fighting the pandemic with the minimum cost on the society".

"At the current stage, continued implementation of the 'circuit breaker' mechanism is not very effective in preventing imported cases," the government said. 

"Large number of passengers will have their itineraries disrupted due to the mechanism, and as the supply of seats on planes and quarantine hotel rooms fall short, the social costs generated will be remarkably high." 

Travelling to Hong Kong will still pose a challenge as the city holds on to its mandatory seven-day hotel quarantine for all arrivals. 

Rooms at the designated hotels are booked up for months in advance.

Previous city leader Carrie Lam introduced the rule last April which banned airlines bringing in more than a handful of infected passengers from flying the designated route for a fixed period. 

The penalty was reduced from two weeks to a shorter five-day suspension during its one-year imposition. 

It was heavily criticised by industry representatives who said Hong Kong was in danger of losing its position as a global aviation hub.

So far in 2022 there had been more than 100 flight route bans, even though the coronavirus had become endemic within Hong Kong after a mass outbreak at the start of the year. 

Reopening Hong Kong's border both with mainland China and the rest of the world was one of former top-cop John Lee's main campaign objectives before being selected to run the city by a small committee of Beijing loyalists in May. 

But it is unclear how his ad ministration can achieve both objectives at the same time. 

Lee told the city's legislature on Wednesday that Hong Kong was not ready to abandon its zero-Covid policy. 

Hong Kong is currently facing an uptick of Covid-19 cases with numbers at their highest level since April. 

 

With inputs from AFP.