Although there is a marked decrease in infection rate and the number of new cases detected daily in recent days, there is no reduction in deaths as another 82 people died of the coronavirus during the past 24 hours (Monday), raising the toll to 9,474.

The latest data released by National Command and Operation Centre on Tuesday shows Punjab continued to suffer the brunt of the second wave which is proving to be deadlier for the province. Punjab reported 50 deaths during this period. It was followed by 19 in Sindh, seven in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four in Azad Kashmir and two in Islamabad. 

On the other hand, the overall number of cases recorded in the country reached 460,672 after the virus was found in 1,704 more people. This is certainly a positive trend, resulting in less burden on the country’s fragile healthcare system, if it continues in the coming days as well.

Currently, there are 40,261 active cases in Pakistan with 2,917 of them being treated in hospitals. Out of the hospitalised patients, 2,398 patients are admitted in intensive care units because of their critical condition and 322 have been placed on ventilators. 

Earlier, the number of active cases in Pakistan at one point during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic had crossed 51,000. 

Meanwhile, the region-wise distribution of the reported coronavirus cases in given as: Sindh 205,484, Punjab 132,526, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 54,448, Islamabad 36,416, Balochistan 17,950, Azad Kashmir 8,015 and Gilgit-Baltistan 4,831.

As far as the deaths are concerned, Punjab unfortunately tops the list with 3,688 patients dying of the coronavirus infection. The corresponding figures for other provinces/regions are: Sindh 3,352, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1,553, Islamabad 393, Azad Kashmir 210, Balochistan 179 and Gilgit-Baltistan 99.

But there is some good news as 410,937 people have fully recovered from the infection with the addition of 1,852 during the past 24 hours. Hence, the number of closed cases [deaths + patients recovering from infection] has reached 420,411.

US record cases

The United States surpassed 18 million reported Covid-19 cases on Monday, figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, as the virus surges nationwide.

The US has the world's highest absolute number of cases as well as the most deaths related to the virus, according to the figures.

It had a total of 18,006,061 reported cases on Monday evening and more than 319,000 deaths.

The country began administering vaccines a week ago and has given approval to immunizations developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

States and cities have imposed varying levels of restrictions in a bid to slow the virus spread, but outgoing President Donald Trump has repeatedly downplayed its seriousness and urged reopenings.

Trump's behavior has come despite having been hospitalized with the virus himself.

President-elect Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the November 3 election, has been far more cautious, urging mask-wearing and abiding by social-distancing rules.

Earlier Monday, Biden received a Covid-19 vaccine live on television in a campaign to boost Americans' confidence in the jabs.

Global developments
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Britain cut off -
Dozens of countries around the world from India to Argentina ban flights and travellers from Britain as London says a more infectious new virus strain is spreading "out of control".

- Variant 'not out of control': WHO -
The new coronavirus variant discovered in Britain is not yet out of control, according to the World Health Organization, its emergencies chief Michael Ryan saying it "can be stopped... But it cannot be left to its own devices."

- Britain can cope -
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain can cope with delays to freight arriving in the country, and says he wants to "sort it out in the next few hours" with France, which has suspended cross-Channel traffic.

- European markets plunge -
European stocks, oil prices and the British pound dive as the new virus strain in Britain sends traders running for cover.

- EU greenlight for vaccine -
The European Union gives the green light for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for vaccinations to finally start in the 27-nation bloc on December 27.

- Protecting against new variant -
The European Medicines Agency says after giving its approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine there is no evidence it would not work against the new strain spreading in Britain.

- Second vaccine in US -
The first Moderna inoculations take place in the United States, exactly a week after the US, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus, began administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. 

- US relief package deal -
US lawmakers vote on a $900 billion (740 billion-euro) Covid-19 relief package for millions of Americans, after a deal that follows months of wrangling.

- Vaccine first in Asia -
Singapore receives Asia's first delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and plans to vaccinate its 5.7 million people by the third quarter of 2021. 

- South Korea tightens curbs -
South Korea bans gatherings of more than four people in the capital and surrounding areas as the country records its highest daily death toll.

- Vaccines 'morally acceptable' -
The Vatican urges Catholics to get vaccinated against coronavirus and says it is "morally acceptable" to take vaccines that use cell lines from aborted foetuses.

- Nearly 1.7 million dead -
At least 1,693,576 people have died since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

The US is the worst-hit country with 317,684 deaths, followed by Brazil with 186,764 fatalities, India with 145,810, Mexico with 118,202 and Italy with 68,799.

- Denmark bans mink farming -
Denmark's parliament passes a law banning the keeping of minks for a year, following the country's controversial cull of all minks over a mutated strain of the novel coronavirus.

With inputs from AFP.