Pakistan has recorded 65 more deaths during the last 24 hours (Friday) from the deadly coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 543,214. The countrywide tally of fatalities has also jumped to 11,623, showed the latest data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday morning.

According to the latest NCOC figures, 2,179 more persons were tested positive for COVID-19 during the past 24 hours (Friday).

As usual, Sindh remained the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.

So far 245,663 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 156,928 in Punjab, 66,679 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 41,255 in Islamabad, 18,809 in Balochistan, 8,972 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,908 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

As many as 4,716 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 3,986 in Sindh, 1,890 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 475 in Islamabad, 259 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 195 in Balochistan and 102 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Pakistan has so far conducted 7,889,741 coronavirus tests and 41,435 during the last 24 hours (Friday). As many as 498,152 coronavirus patients have recovered throughout the country whereas 2,111 patients were in critical condition. The total count of active cases was 33,439.

Global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Third vaccine for EU -

The European Union's drug regulator approves the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for use on all adults, as a row with the EU over supplies of the jab escalates. 

However Germany's vaccine commission maintains its advice against using the vaccine on over 65s, citing lack of data.

- EU eyes vaccine exports -

The EU executive launches a scheme to monitor and in some cases reject exports of vaccines produced in EU plants amid its row with AstraZeneca over delays in deliveries.

- J&J vaccine -

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it expects Johnson & Johnson to submit an application for its coronavirus vaccine "shortly", after the firm says its single-shot vaccine has an overall efficacy of 66 percent.

- Novartis to help Pfizer -

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis says it will help produce the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19, as countries scramble to boost supplies.

- Canadian quarantine -

People arriving in Canada will have to quarantine in hotels for at least three days under strict supervision and at their own expense, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces.

- German travel ban -

Germany's government bans from Saturday to February 17 most travellers from countries hit by new coronavirus variants: Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Brazil, South Africa as well as the southern African kingdoms of Lesotho and Eswatini.

- New EU travel curbs -

EU member state ambassadors approve a new map of coronavirus danger zones across the 27-nation bloc, allowing authorities to impose stricter regional travel restrictions.

- Italy eases curbs -

Italy eases coronavirus restrictions in all but five of its regions, despite warnings from public health experts that such a move may be rash. 

- Stocks lose again -

Stock markets end their worst week since October with new losses, on fears of surging infections, slow vaccine rollouts and the weak economic backdrop.

- Deep recession -

Mexico's economy, the second largest in Latin America, shrank 8.5 percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

- Origins probe -

Experts from the World Health Organization visit a Wuhan hospital as fieldwork begins in a closely watched probe that will take in a food market presumed to be "ground zero" of the pandemic.

- Chevron loses $5.5 billion -

US oil giant Chevron lost $5.5 billion in 2020, concluding a rocky year for oil companies as the coronavirus battered demand for petroleum products.

- Cases top 101 million -

At least 2,191,865 people have died of coronavirus since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally from official sources.

More than 101,436,360 cases have been registered.

The US has suffered the highest toll with 433,206 deaths, followed by Brazil with 221,547 and Mexico with 155,145.

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

- African festival postponed -

Africa's biggest film festival, FESPACO, scheduled to run in Burkina Faso's capital from February 27 to March 6, is postponed because of the pandemic.

With inputs from AFP.