As the winter approaches in Pakistan, all the coronavirus indicators have continued to plummet with business and everyday life roaring back to normal.

The number of fatalities plunged below 20 again, infections came down crashing to under 700 and the positivity ratio was also down considerably in the last many months.

The figures released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday morning showed that Pakistan has registered only 18 coronavirus deaths and 689 infections during the last 24 hours (Monday), the lowest in many many months. 

As per the NCOC statistics, after the addition of 18 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,152 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,259,648 after adding the fresh 689 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Monday), a total of 42,476 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 1.62 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 2,280.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1447730004113100804

During the last 24 hours (Monday), as many as 1,180 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,189,742. As of Tuesday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 42,754.

As many as 463,167 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 436,442 in Punjab, 176,048 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 106,201 in Islamabad, 33,083 in Balochistan, 34,354 in Azad Kashmir and 10,353 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 12,792 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,502 in Sindh, 5,650 in KP, 933 in Islamabad, 739 in Azad Kashmir, 350 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Anti-Covid drug -

Pharmaceutical giant Merck applies for emergency use authorisation of its oral anti-Covid drug, molnupiravir, in the United States.

- Extra jabs -

World Health Organization vaccine advisers recommend people with weakened immune systems should be offered an additional dose of all WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccines.

They also recommend that people over 60 who have been fully immunised with China's Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccine should be offered a third dose.

- Thailand to reopen -

Thailand plans to fully re-open to vaccinated tourists from countries deemed low risk from November 1, Premier Prayut Chan-O-Chathe says, citing the urgent need to save the kingdom's ailing economy.

- Antibody treatment -

Swiss pharma giant Roche applies to market its Covid-19 antibody treatment, which it co-developed with US biotech firm Regeneron. in the European Union, the bloc's medicines watchdog says, the final step before it can be released to the continent.

- Latvia emergency -

Latvia declares a three-month state of emergency starting from Monday following a surge in Covid-19 infections to record levels, as its vaccination rate remains one of the lowest in the EU.

- Over 4.8 million dead - 

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,847,904 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data on Monday. 

The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths at 713,350, followed by Brazil with 601,011, India 450,782, Mexico 282,086 and Russia 217,372.

Based on the latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths are Russia with 957, followed by the US with 255 and Iran with 222.

Taking into account excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, the World Health Organization estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.

With inputs from AFP.