Pakistan has posted only four deaths and 313 infections from the coronavirus pandemic during the last 24 hours (Saturday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday morning,

As per the NCOC data, after the addition of four new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 28,659 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,281,872 after adding the fresh 313 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), a total of 40,019 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 0.78 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 1,054.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1462244672940638215

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), as many as 309 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,230,734. As of Sunday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 22,479.

As many as 474,058 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 442,422 in Punjab, 179,553 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 107,467 in Islamabad, 33,434 in Balochistan, 34,532 in Azad Kashmir and 10,406 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 12,997 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,611 in Sindh, 5,814 in KP, 952 in Islamabad, 741 in Azad Kashmir, 358 in Balochistan and 186 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Iran fully vaccinates over half its population

More than half of Iran's population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the health ministry said Saturday, as infection and death rates in the country have started to drop.

More than 44.2 million of Iran's 83 million population have received two coronavirus vaccine doses since the country began its inoculation campaign in February, according to ministry figures.

Another 12.2 million people have received a single vaccine dose.

The Islamic republic uses a number of vaccines, including the Chinese-made Sinopharm jab.

Iran is battling the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East. It has officially recorded over six million infections and almost 129,000 deaths.

Health authorities acknowledge the official figures underestimate the country's real toll.

But its caseload has begun to decline, after Iran registered record numbers of infections and deaths in August.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered Saturday the lifting of a year-long night-time driving ban on private vehicles in urban areas.

On Thursday, the country reopened football stadiums to spectators at 30 percent capacity on a trial basis, local media said.

Iraq gets 1.2 million doses of Pfizer vaccine

Iraq said Saturday it has received 1.2 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine through the Covax sharing scheme, amid fears of a fourth wave in the country.

Nearly seven million Iraqis have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, amounting to 17.5 percent of the country's 40 million population, based on government figures.

Plagued by years of conflict, corruption and neglect, Iraq's health system has struggled to cope with the pandemic.

The health ministry announced on Saturday the arrival of a shipment of more than 1.2 million doses of "Pfizer's anti-Covid vaccine through the Covax programme and UNICEF", the UN Children's Fund.

"Iraq is still facing danger from the coronavirus pandemic," ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said on Thursday.

"We expect to enter a fourth wave, (and) it could be a new variant," he told state television.

More than two million Iraqis have been infected with Covid and 23,628 have died in Iraq since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to official figures.

Despite an increase in the number of people getting jabbed, Iraq's government has been unable to overcome general scepticism about vaccines and measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.

There is a high level of public mistrust of institutions in Iraq amid the circulation of misleading information about the pandemic.

Covax was set up to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, particularly to low-income countries, and has already delivered more than 80 million doses to 129 territories.

 

With inputs from AFP.