Pakistan has posted a plunge in the number of everyday coronavirus infections and fatalities as the country registered 290 cases and two deaths during the last 24 hours (Friday), showed the figures released by the National Institute of Health Pakistan on Saturday morning, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

As per the NIH data, the death toll in the country now surged to 30,571 after adding the two new deaths while the number of total infections now stood at 1,568,183 after adding the fresh 290 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Friday), 16,570 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 1.75 percent. The number of patients in critical care was recorded at 123.

https://twitter.com/NIH_Pakistan/status/1563342095301038081

Time for Covid reality check after million deaths this year: WHO

The World Health Organization's Covid chief said Friday it was time for a reality check on the virus after the millionth death from the disease this year.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead Covid-19, said the toll was "heartbreaking" because the tests, treatments, vaccines and public health measures to control the disease were all available.

"Given we're in the third year of the pandemic, it's... all the more so tragic given that we have the tools that can actually prevent these deaths," she told a live interaction on the WHO's social media channels.

"A lot of us have become numb to the numbers.

"We need a reality check. We really need to take stock of where we are. We should not be in a position with 14,000 or 15,000 people dying every week. We just shouldn't."

Van Kerkhove insisted that the pandemic was not over, but it could be brought to an end while people continue to live their daily lives.

"We just need to put a little extra thought into that, of being a bit more careful," she said.

"A lot of people are talking about living with Covid. But we need to live with this responsibly.

"A million deaths this year is not living with Covid. Having 15,000 deaths per week is not living with Covid-19 responsibly."

Nearly 6.45 million deaths have been reported to the WHO since the virus was first detected in China in late 2019.

More than 5.3 million new cases were reported to the UN health agency last week.

"These are huge numbers, and that's an underestimate," said Van Kerkhove, with home testing not being reflected in surveillance data.

"We do see this virus circulating really intensely around the world.

"The virus is not going away, unfortunately."

Moderna sues Pfizer, BioNTech over Covid vaccine

Moderna said Friday it is suing rival vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech, alleging the partners infringed on its patents in developing their Covid-19 shot administered to hundreds of millions around the world.

The lawsuits set up a high-stakes showdown between the leading manufacturers of Covid-19 shots that are a key tool in the fight against the disease.

"Moderna believes that Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty infringes patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016 covering Moderna's foundational mRNA technology," the US-based biotech firm said in a statement.

"Pfizer and BioNTech copied this technology, without Moderna's permission, to make Comirnaty," Moderna alleged.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they were aware of the litigation, and each issued statements denying any wrongdoing.

"BioNTech's work is original, and we will vigorously defend against all allegations of patent infringement," the firm said, adding it "respects valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others."

Pfizer pledged to "vigorously defend against the allegations of the lawsuit."

The mRNA technology used in the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots differs from that in traditional vaccines, which rely on injecting weakened or dead forms of a virus to allow the immune system to recognize it and build antibodies.

Instead, mRNA vaccines deliver instructions to cells to build a harmless piece of the spike protein found on the surface of the virus that causes Covid-19.

After creating this spike protein, cells can recognize and fight the real virus, hailed as a major advancement in development of vaccines.

- Key tool against deadly pandemic -

The shots have repeatedly been the subject of inaccurate claims that they are dangerous, but health authorities say they are safe and effective.

The lawsuits -- in US district court in Massachusetts, and in regional court in Dusseldorf, Germany -- are not seeking the removal of the rival vaccine or an injunction on future sales.

Moderna said it had begun building up the technology in 2010 and patented work on corona viruses in 2015 and 2016, which allowed for rollout of its shots in "record time" after the pandemic struck.

The virus has killed at least 6.48 million people worldwide since 2020 and made nearly 600 million ill, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.

In addition to death and suffering, the disease has led to a re-shaping of life ranging from a change in norms on working from home to a scrambling of supply chains and workforces.

Moderna said it pledged in October 2020 not to enforce its Covid-19-related patents while the pandemic continued, but less than two years later changed that stance as the fight shifted gears.

"Moderna expected companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech to respect its intellectual property rights and would consider a commercially reasonable license should they request one for other markets," it said.

"Pfizer and BioNTech have failed to do so," the firm added.

These types of lawsuits are not unheard of in the pharmaceutical industry, where patents can be worth billions of dollars, and can take years to resolve.

"It is an unfortunate but rather regular occurrence that other companies make allegations that a successful product potentially infringes their intellectual property rights," BioNTech said in a statement.

With inputs from AFP.