Another 40 people have lost their lives to coronavirus whereas 1,037 were infected during the last 24 hours (Wednesday) across Pakistan, showed the figures released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday morning.

As per the latest NCOC statistics, with the addition of 40 new deaths the toll has now soared to 22,321 whereas the total number of cases has now reached 958,408 after adding 1,037 new ones.

During the past 24 hours (Wednesday), as many as 836 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 904,320. As of Thursday, the total count of active cases was recorded at 31,767 and the positivity ratio soared to 2.2 percent.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1410416470149025797

As many as 337,674 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 346,301 in Punjab, 138,068 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 82,706 in Islamabad, 27,178 in Balochistan, 20,343 in Azad Kashmir, and 6,138 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Moreover, 10,775 individuals have so far lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab, 5,464 in Sindh, 4,320 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 779 in Islamabad, 583 in Azad Kashmir, 309 in Balochistan and 111 in Gilgit Baltistan.

 GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Russia's deaths record -

Russia reports 669 deaths from the virus over the past 24 hours, a record for the second day in a row, according to a government tally. The figure comes just days before Saint Petersburg hosts a Euro 2020 quarter-final in front of thousands of fans. 

- Putin: No compulsory vaccines -

Russia's President Vladimir Putin says he is against mandatory jabs despite the surge in infections in the country and sluggish vaccination rates.

- Australia lockdown spreads -

The outback town of Alice Springs becomes the latest Australian population centre to lock down, joining Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Darwin, as anger mounts over the country's slow vaccine rollout.

- Portugal daily cases pass 2,000 -

Health authorities in Portugal report over 2,000 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, a high in a new wave of infections blamed on the Delta variant.

- Fresh move to impeach Bolsonaro -

Opposition lawmakers in Brazil launch a fresh bid to impeach President Jair Bolsonaro as more allegations break of corruption in acquiring coronavirus vaccines to tackle a pandemic he is accused of having criminally mishandled.

- North Korea breach -

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un replaces several senior officials after a "crucial" coronavirus incident, state media reports, potentially signalling a breach in the country's epidemic defences.

- World Bank boosts vaccine fund -

The World Bank announces it has increased its Covid-19 vaccine fund for developing countries by $8 billion to $20 billion.

- International donors boost Africa treatment -

International donors pledge more than $700 million to South African pharmaceutical giant Aspen to boost production of Covid-19 vaccines and treatment on the under-vaccinated continent

- France lifts restrictions -

France lifts the last capacity restrictions on cinemas, restaurants and restaurants, despite fears of a possible fourth wave of the virus.

- Trillions lost in tourism -

The economic impact from the plunge in tourism since the start of the pandemic could top $4 trillion, a UN report says.

- Airline bets big -

US carrier United Airlines announces the largest order in its history, unveiling major purchases from Boeing and Airbus in a sizeable bet on the travel sector's recovery from the pandemic.

- Hard-hit US newspapers -

A Pew Research Center report shows the troubled US newspaper sector cut thousands more jobs in 2020 as circulation fell during the pandemic, but saw some positive signs with growth in digital readers. 

- Another torch blow -

Parts of the Olympic torch relay in Tokyo will be taken off public roads in another virus setback for the Games that are due to start on July 23.

- Over 3.9 million dead - 

The pandemic has killed at least 3,941,478 people since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data at 2000 GMT Wednesday.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 604,614 deaths, followed by Brazil with 515,985, India with 398,454, Mexico 232,803 and Peru with 192,331.

The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies. 

The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest.

With inputs from AFP.