Pakistan has recorded another 7,978 coronavirus infections and 29 deaths during the last 24 hours (Saturday) amid the fifth wave of Covid-19 which was spreading at a faster speed throughout the country, showed the statistics released by National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday morning.

As per the latest NCOC data, after the addition of 29 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 29,248 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,417,991 after adding the fresh 7,978 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), 64,016 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 12.46 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 1,455.

https://twitter.com/OfficialNcoc/status/1487521182987472898

During the last 24 hours (Saturday), as many as 12,019 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,288,738. As of Sunday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 100,005.

As many as 540,023 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 476,420 in Punjab, 192,519 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 126,473 in Islamabad, 34,342 in Balochistan, 37,572 in Azad Kashmir and 10,642 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 13,151 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,812 in Sindh, 5,996 in KP, 979 in Islamabad, 755 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan and 188 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- Record daily cases in Russia -

Russia reports more than 100,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time as the country weathers a surge of infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

A government Covid-19 portal registers 113,122 new cases over 24 hours, nearly double the number of daily infections just a week ago. 

- Australian medics in Solomons -

Australia flies a small team of emergency medical specialists to the Solomon Islands following a request for help in battling a worsening outbreak of Covid-19.

The team of eight experts lands in the capital Honiara alongside a shipment of more than 37,000 vaccine doses. 

- Joni Mitchell boycotting Spotify -

Singer Joni Mitchell says she is pulling her music from Spotify over "lies" on the streaming service about Covid-19, just days after fellow musical titan Neil Young did the same.

In a post on her website, the "Big Yellow Taxi" singer says she is supporting Young, who clashed with Spotify over its wildly popular "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

- Cases in Canadian Olympics team -

Canada says five members of its 246-strong Winter Olympics delegation in Beijing have tested positive for Covid-19.

The winter sports powerhouse has not said whether those concerned are athletes, support staff or officials.

- Canadian truckers protest -

Hundreds of truckers drive their giant rigs into the Canadian capital Ottawa as part of a self-titled "Freedom Convoy" to protest vaccine mandates required to cross the US border.

- French march against vaccine pass -

Some 30,000 protesters take to the street across France to vent their frustration with requirements since Monday that people be vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants, trains and planes. The turn-out is down on the almost 40,000 people who protested a week earlier.

- Over 5.6 million dead -

The coronavirus has killed at least 5.64 million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Saturday.

The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 882,881, followed by Brazil with 625,884 and India on 493,198.

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.