Pakistan reports another 20 Covid infections
NIH data shows infectivity rate standing at 0.52%: Expert says highly infectious Covid variant spreading in US
Stay tuned with 24 News HD Android App
Pakistan has registered another 20 Covid-19 infections with no fatality during the last 24 hours (Thursday), showed the statistics released by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday morning, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to the NIH data, the death toll in the country remained the same at 30,639 whereas the number of total infections now rose to 1,576,037 after adding the fresh 20 cases.
During the last 24 hours (Thursday), 3,878 tests were conducted throughout the country whereas the positivity ratio stood at 0.52 percent. The number of patients in critical care stood at 17.
COVID-19 Statistics 13 January 2023
— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) January 13, 2023
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 3,878
Positive Cases: 20
Positivity %: 0.52%
Deaths: 00
Patients on Critical Care: 17
Highly infectious Covid variant spreading in US
With the new year comes a new variant of Covid-19. XBB 1.5 is a subvariant of Omicron and is highly infectious.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says XBB 1.5 is spreading more quickly than previous variants.
Samaritan Family Health Network Medical Director Dr Joseph Wetterhahn puts it in perspective. “It is a more contagious form of Covid, but not necessarily a more severe or dangerous form,” he said.
XBB 1.5 is responsible for more than 50 percent of Covid cases in New York state right now, and 72 percent of cases in the country.
It’s becoming the dominant strain. Wetterhahn says it’s likely already in the north country. “Hospitalization rates are rising slightly since this strand became more kind of in place. The death rate is rising slightly, but it still remains far less severe and far less likely to lead to hospitalizations than we dealt with in early stages of this pandemic,” said Dr Wetterhahn.
St. Lawrence County health officials say to avoid catching this new strain get vaccinated or boosted, wash your hands often, disinfect commonly-used surfaces, and wear a mask when not feeling well.
Meanwhile, Dr Wetterhahn says things aren’t as bad as 2020, but there are still vulnerable people in the community to be aware of and take care of.