Pakistan has reported an uptick in the coronavirus fatalities as 72 people lost their lives to the Covid-19 whereas 3,270 fresh cases were recorded during the last 24 hours (Monday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday morning.

As per the latest NCOC data, after the addition of 72 new fatalities, the death toll has now shot up to 13,935 while the number of total confirmed cases stood at 633,741, after adding 3,270 new ones.

During the past 24 hours (Monday), 1,733 patients recovered from the coronavirus while the number of total recoveries stood at 585,271. The total count of active cases across Pakistan was 34,535.

As many as 263,464 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 200,969 in Punjab, 80,519 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 52,676 in Islamabad, 19,347 in Balochistan, 11,792 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,974 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 6,039 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab 4,479 in Sindh, 2,225 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 548 in Islamabad, 338 in Azad Kashmir, 203 in Balochistan and 103 in Gilgit Baltistan.

A total of 39,742 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours (Monday) throughout the country while 9,857,233 samples have so far been tested.

 

Global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- 'Grotesque' jab gap: WHO -

The World Health Organization blasts the growing gap between the number of Covid-19 vaccines administered in rich and poor countries, saying it is "becoming more grotesque every day".

- Vaccines war -

EU capitals are divided ahead of a video summit later this week as they mull how to handle a looming vaccine war with the UK.

France backs a plan to impose an export ban on the AstraZeneca vaccine unless the company makes up a supply lag, while Ireland and the Netherlands have argued for dialogue.

- Germany to tighten curbs -

Germany is poised to prolong and tighten a partial lockdown into April due to soaring caseloads, according to a draft document seen by AFP, as Chancellor Angela Merkel meets the leaders of the country's 16 states.

- Putin to receive Sputnik V -

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismisses foreign criticism of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine and says he will get the jab himself on Tuesday.

And Moscow announces that experts from the European drugs regulator will visit Russia next month to review clinical trials of the vaccine.

- More AstraZeneca doubts -

Iceland's health authorities say they will follow other Nordic countries in investigating AstraZeneca's vaccine further before using it again.

Earlier Monday the Anglo-Swedish pharma giant said its vaccine was 80 percent effective at preventing the disease in the elderly and does not increase the risk of blood clots, following its US phase III efficiency trials.

- Hungary approves new Chinese vaccine -

Hungary again breaks ranks with the EU, approving a second Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine as well as an Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca jab, meaning it now has eight approved vaccines.

- 'Disaster' in northern Italy -

The vaccine rollout in Italy's hardest-hit region Lombardy is a "disaster", badly hampered by faulty booking systems, media report, with at least one injection centre nearly empty at the weekend.

- Czechs mourn -

Church bells ring out across the Czech Republic to mark one year since the first Covid-19 fatality in the country with the highest per capita death rate in the world. 

- Long-term effects -

At least one in three patients hospitalised with Covid-19 suffers long-term health issues including multiple organ problems and deteriorated mental health, according to a review of studies published in the journal Nature Medicine.

- Not a miracle cure -

The EU's medicines regulator advises against using the anti-parasite drug ivermectin for the coronavirus outside clinical trials, despite headlines touting it as a miracle cure in Brazil, France, South Africa and South Korea.

- 2.7 million dead -

At least 2,716,035 people have died of coronavirus around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally from official sources. 

The United States is the worst-affected country with 542,359 deaths, followed by Brazil with 294,042, Mexico with 198,036, India with 159,967 and Britain with 126,155.

 

With inputs from AFP.