Pakistan has registered new 7,586 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths during the last 24 hours (Saturday) amid fresh wave of Covid-19 triggered by the Omicron variant, showed the figures released by National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday morning.

As per the NCOC data, after the addition of 20 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 29,097 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,367,605 after adding the fresh 7,586 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), 58,334 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 13.00 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 1,083.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1485059332337250304

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), as many as 647 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,268,245. As of Sunday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 70,263.

As many as 523,774 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 462,323 in Punjab, 184,455 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 117,436 in Islamabad, 33,910 in Balochistan, 35,218 in Azad Kashmir and 10,489 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 13,105 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,738 in Sindh, 5,974 in KP, 976 in Islamabad, 750 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan and 187 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Russia tops Covid daily record -

The Russian government reports a record number of new coronavirus cases after the Kremlin warned of a looming surge in cases driven by the Omicron variant.

- Virus lands in Pacific island nations -

Kiribati and Samoa enter lockdowns after overseas arrivals brought Covid to the Pacific island nations that had avoided the worst of the pandemic for two years.

- Scientists track Omicron 'sub-variant' -

Scientists are keeping a close watch on a recently discovered sub-variant of the Omicron version of the Covid-19 virus, dubbed BA.2, to determine how its emergence could affect future pandemic spread.

- Thousands protest in Sweden -

Thousands of protesters demonstrate in Sweden's two biggest cities against the use of vaccine passes, in marches that passed off peacefully despite concern about clashes between neo-Nazi groups and their opponents.

- Thousands march in France -

Around 38,000 people protest across France, according to government figures, two days before everyone aged 16 and above has to start showing a proof of vaccination to access restaurants, bars and transport.

- French govt deputy assaulted -

French government deputy Romain Grau is punched by a protestor after demonstrators in the southern city of Perpignan gather at his constituency office and he goes out to talk to them. 

- Arab summit postponed -

The Arab League has for a third year in a row postponed its annual summit because of Covid-19. There is no new date yet for the event originally scheduled for March 22 in Algiers.

- More than 5.5 million dead -

The coronavirus has killed at least 5,583,378 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Saturday.

The United States has recorded the most Covid deaths with 864,564, followed by Brazil with 622,563, India on 488,884 and Russia 325,433.

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.