Coronavirus has claimed another 43 lives in Pakistan while 1,927 new infections have been reported during the last 24 hours (Friday), showed the data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday.

With 43 new deaths, the death toll has surged to 11,247 while the number of total confirmed cases soared to 530,818.

During the past 24 hours (Friday), as many as 1,737 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total number of recoveries has recorded at 484,508.

As of Saturday, the overall count of active coronavirus cases was 35,063 while the national positivity ratio was recorded at 4.77 percent.

As usual, Sindh remained at the top in terms of number of cases followed by Punjab and other regions.

At least 239,935 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh so far, 152,925 in Punjab, 64,945 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 40,629 in Islamabad, 18,715 in Balochistan, 8,770 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,899 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 4,537 individuals have died due to the Covid-19 in Punjab so far, 3,875 in Sindh, 1,826 in KP, 463 in Islamabad, 252 in Azad Kashmir, 192 in Balochistan, and 102 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- New British strain 'more deadly' -

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there is "some evidence" that the new strain of coronavirus identified in Britain is not only more transmissible but also more deadly.

- Vaccines for poor -

The World Health Organization (WHO) and pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer announce a deal for up to 40 million initial doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for poorer countries, through the Covax global pool.

- Helping the hungry -

US President Joe Biden orders an expansion of government benefits for hungry Americans, after the pandemic ignites the worst hunger crisis the US has seen in modern times.

- Belgium travel curbs -

Belgium will ban non-essential trips out of the country from Wednesday in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections, especially highly contagious variants, a government official says.

- Germany deaths top 50,000 -

Germany has recorded more than 50,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic as it extends a partial lockdown until February 14.

It also detects its first case of a newly discovered Brazilian coronavirus variant, feared to be particularly infectious, in the state of Hesse.

- Madrid toughens curfew -

Spain's hard-hit Madrid region announces new restrictions, including bringing forward a curfew and the closing time for bars and restaurants.

- Beijing mass testing -

Beijing launches a drive to test two million people in 48 hours as the city rushes to snuff out a new local cluster possibly linked to a more contagious variant.

- First Hong Kong lockdown -

Some 1,700 police are ready to enforce Hong Kong's first lockdown covering up to 9,000 people as authorities battle an outbreak in one of the city's poorest and most densely packed districts.

- Japan eyes enforcement - 

Japan's cabinet approves bills to toughen restrictions. including the threat of fines and prison sentences for rule-breakers for the first time since the outbreak began.

The new measures are expected to by passed by parliament next week,

- Zidane positive -

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for Covid-19, the Spanish club announces.

- Hungary gets Sputnik -

Hungary says it has reached a deal to buy two million doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, even though it has not been approved by the European Union.

- Murray misses Australian Open - 

Former world tennis number one Andy Murray says he has decided against competing in next month's Australian Open after failing to find a way of quarantining following his recovery from the coronavirus.

- Rio carnival called off - 

Rio de Janeiro calls off its famous carnival, which had already been postponed to July, due to a deadly revival of the coronavirus epidemic in Brazil.

- Two million plus dead -

At least 2,092,736 people have died of the virus since it first emerged in China in late 2019, according to a tally compiled by AFP on Friday based on official figures.

The US has suffered the highest death toll with 410,378 fatalities, followed by Brazil with 214,147 and India with 153,032.

The number of deaths globally is broadly under-estimated. The toll is calculated from daily figures published by national health authorities and does not include later revisions by statistics agencies.

 

With inputs from AFP.