ISLAMABAD: Deaths from the novel coronavirus crossed the 10,000 mark in Pakistan on Wednesday as the country reported 55 new fatalities in the the last 24 hours, a government portal showed. 

Pakistan also recorded 2,155 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections to 477,240, with active cases standing at 37,080.

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s health ministry said it was evaluating five samples to confirm the presence of a new United Kingdom variant of the coronavirus in the country as part of a proactive effort to stem the spread of the virus.

Spokesman for the Ministry of National Health Services said a preliminary analysis suggested the new strain may not be more transmissible and there was no evidence that the infection caused by the UK variant was more severe.

After a peak of over 6,800 daily infections in June, the number of cases fell to a low of 213 in August, and remained below 700 for most of the last three months.

But in November the government announced that a second wave of the coronavirus had arrived, putting in place new guidelines, including mandatory face masks in public places and banning indoor dining at restaurants. Schools across the country have also been shut down, or have switched to online classes, until mid-January.