The coronavirus spread in Pakistan is appeared to be slowing down as the country after several months reported single-day infections below 1,000.

At least 47 people lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus pandemic whereas 958 fresh cases were reported during the last 24 hours (Monday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday morning.

As per the latest NCOC data, the death toll has soared to 12,333 while the number of total confirmed infections stood at 564,077.

During the past 24 hours (Monday), 910 patients have recovered from the virus while the total recoveries stood at 525,997. The total count of active cases was 25,383 and the national positivity rate stood at nearly four percent.

As many as 253,762 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 164,268 in Punjab, 69,990 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18,942 in Balochistan, 42,688 in Islamabad, 9,487 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,940 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Moreover, 5,051 individuals have so far lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 4,219 in Sindh, 1,995 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 199 in Balochistan, 486 in Islamabad, 281 in Azad Kashmir and 102 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Global developments

These are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- WHO approves AstraZeneca -

The World Health Organization gives emergency use approval to AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccines, allowing distribution to some of the world's poorest countries to begin.

The AstraZeneca shot will account for almost all the doses set to be shipped under Covax, an international programme designed to ensure that the world's poor do not miss out. 

- UK PM cautious on lockdown -

Britain intends to seek a "cautious but irreversible" ending of its lockdown restrictions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says.

The announcement comes as the government introduces mandatory hotel quarantine rules for arrivals from dozens of countries deemed "high risk" for coronavirus variants.

- Auckland snap lockdown -

New Zealand's biggest city begins a snap three-day lockdown, forcing two million people to stay at home, as authorities scramble to contain the nation's first outbreak of the highly contagious UK variant.

- EU border -

The European Commission urges better coordination between EU members, after Germany imposes border measures on Austria and the Czech Republic to stem the spread of the new variants and warns it might do the same with France.

- Iraqi partial lockdown -

Iraq will re-impose partial lockdown measures until early March after detecting the UK strain of the coronavirus, including among children, its health minister announces. 

- S.African schools reopen -

Children go back to school across South Africa after the continent's hardest-hit country emerges from a second wave of the virus.

- 177.6 million jabs -

More than 177.6 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines have been administered around the world, according to an AFP count based on official sources on Monday at 1800 GMT.

- Palestinians delay campaign -

The Palestinian Authority pushes back the rollout of its coronavirus vaccination campaign due to a delay in deliveries.

- First vaccines in refugee camp -

Jordan launches a Covid-19 vaccination drive in its huge Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, in what a UN spokesman says is a world first.

- 2.4 million deaths - 

The virus has caused at least 2,400,543 deaths since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Monday.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 485,337 deaths followed by Brazil with 239,245, Mexico with 174,207, India with 155,732 and Britain with 117,166.

 

With inputs from AFP.