ISLAMABAD: Data from the National Command and Operation Center — the government of Pakistan’s central body to oversee the fight against the coronavirus pandemic — showed on Thursday at least four Pakistani cities where ventilator occupancy rates had crossed 80% as a third wave of COVID-19 sweeps through the country.

The NCOC said 5,857 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours and 98 had died.

Providing figures for highest ventilator occupancy rates, the NCOC said: “Mardan 100%, Gujranwala 88%, Multan 85%, Lahore 82%.”

Other than Mardan which is in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the three cities listed for alarming ventilator occupancy rates are in Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab.

“Out of 98 deaths during last 24 hours 28 died on ventilators,” the NCOC said.

Pakistan is currently offering free vaccines to frontline health care workers and people over the age of 50, but the drive has thus far been slow, and last month the country allowed commercial imports by the private sector for the general public.

The first round saw the commercial sale of the two-shot Russian Sputnik V to the general public for about 12,000 Pakistani rupees ($80) for a pack of two doses.