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News

Pakistan records spike in coronavirus deaths

NCOC data shows 14 people die of Covid-19 in 24 hours with 277 infections: France slaps ban on British travellers to slow Omicron spread: UK makes another daily Covid cases record

December 17, 2021 09:11 AM


Pakistan reported a spike in coronavirus fatalities though the number of infections remained steady as was witnessed during the past few weeks.

Pakistan which was recording single-digit fatalities for last many weeks reported 14 Covid-19 deaths and 277 infections during the last 24 hours, showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday morning.

As per the NCOC data, after the addition of 14 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,863 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,290,491 after adding the fresh 277 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Thursday), a total of 41,927 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 0.66 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 718.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1471647440751280134

During the last 24 hours (Thursday), as many as 243 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,252,157. As of Friday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 9,471.

As many as 478,717 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 444,074 in Punjab, 180,887 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 108,215 in Islamabad, 33,540 in Balochistan, 34,630 in Azad Kashmir and 10,428 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 13,055 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,648 in Sindh, 5,903 in KP, 963 in Islamabad, 745 in Azad Kashmir, 363 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

 

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- France bans British tourists -
France "drastically tightens" restrictions on travel to and from Britain from Saturday with tourists and business trips banned to slow the spread of the Omicron variant which is raging in southern England.

- Another Covid record in UK -
The UK government reports another daily record of 88,376 new Covid cases, as Britons change their festive plans, including Queen Elizabeth II who cancels her traditional pre-Christmas family lunch.

- EU leaders urge jabs, boosters -
European Union leaders agree to speed up vaccinations and booster shots, saying they will be vital to counter the Omicron variant, also emphasising the need for "coordinated efforts" based on science.

- BoE lifts interest rates -
The Bank of England lifts interest rates to 0.25 percent to combat decade-high inflation, making Britain the first of the G7 nations to raise borrowing costs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

- ECB winds down stimulus -
The European Central Bank says it will wind down its 1.85-trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) pandemic-era bond purchasing programme by March, as the eurozone comes under pressure from soaring inflation.

- Denmark recommends Merck's pill -
Denmark becomes the first EU country to recommend US drugmaker Merck's anti-Covid treatment molnupiravir for at-risk patients with symptoms.

- EU approves Pfizer Covid pill -
The European Medicines Agency approves Pfizer's Covid pill for emergency use by individual member states struggling with Omicron, pending formal approval across the bloc.

- EU touts Covid treatments -
The EU's drug regulator also recommends two new treatments against Covid-19 for use in the bloc -- Kineret, an immunosuppressive used to treat inflammatory conditions and GlaxoSmithKline's Xevudy drug.

- Russian health passes -
Russian lawmakers approve legislation in a first reading that will require people to show health passes to access public places like bars and restaurants.

- Jabs for Brazil's 5-11s -
Brazil's health regulator approves the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged five to 11, although it is not clear when the hard-hit South American country will begin vaccinating children, if at all.

- More Premier League matches off -
The Premier League postpones six more football matches, as the coronavirus crisis wreaks further havoc on the English top-flight.

- Cricket series cancelled -
A one-day international series between hosts Pakistan and the West Indies starting this weekend is called off because of a Covid-19 outbreak among the visitors.

- Africa Cup also in doubt -
Supporters attending next month's Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon will have to show proof of vaccination and present a negative Covid-19 test result, amid growing speculation the tournament could be called off again.

- Over 5.3 million dead - 
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,328,762 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP Thursday at 1100 GMT. 

The countries with the most per capita new cases over the last week are all in Europe: the Netherlands the worst with 1,151 per 100,000 people, followed by Denmark with 869, the Czech Republic with 792, Belgium with 763 and Switzerland with 733.

Also Read: G7 calls Omicron 'biggest current threat' to world health

Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.

 

With inputs from AFP.



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