ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government’s central body dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), on Tuesday raised alarm as the COVID-19 positivity ratio crossed seven percent.
Pakistan reported more than 2,500 new coronavirus cases and 58 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to a government portal.
“35,303 tests conducted in the last 24 hours … Positivity Ratio is 7.1%,” the Pakistani health ministry said on Twitter.
Pakistan: Daily update on #coronavirus cases
•35,303 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
•2,511 people tested #COVID19 positive
•Positivity Ratio is 7.1%
•Number of deaths is 58 pic.twitter.com/cGqXZkUk12— Ministry of National Health Services, Pakistan (@nhsrcofficial) March 16, 2021
On Monday, the NCOC announced that people aged 70 years or older, and who had registered to be vaccinated, could walk into any vaccination center in Pakistan from today, Tuesday, and get inoculated against the coronavirus. Citizens previously had to receive a text from authorities informing them of their designated vaccination center as well as the day and time of their appointment.
Last week, the government reimposed several virus-related restrictions on restaurants, shopping malls, wedding halls and amusement parks due to the rising number of the coronavirus infections, after lifting the restrictions in February.
The country’s federal and provincial education ministers also announced two-week spring holidays in education institutions in Peshawar, Islamabad and several cities of Punjab.
On Monday, the NCOC said the country’s most populous Punjab province was contributing over fifty percent to the COVID-19 mortality rate.
On Tuesday, Punjab recorded the largest number of deaths in the last 24 hours, at 40 fatalities.
On Monday Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar warned the public against taking the current wave of the coronavirus pandemic lightly, directing authorities to ensure strict compliance of SOPs across the province.
In a statement, he described the current wave of the virus as “more dangerous” than previous ones.
