The COVID-19 positivity ratio in Pakistan remained above 10% percent for the sixth consecutive day according to the data shared by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
Latest data on COVID-situation
According to NCOC, the body which oversees the country’s pandemic response:
- The country reported 6,357 new infections
- 17 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours
- The positivity rate was recorded 12.81% on Tuesday
- 49,595 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours
- Total number of registered coronavirus cases jumped to 1.381 million
- Total number of fatalities caused by the virus is 29,122
Stricter COVID curbs expected
The officials are expecting more coronavirus restrictions this week as the Omicron-driven fifth wave of the virus does not seem to slow down
Minister for planning Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, last week urged people not to take the highly-transmissible omicron strain lightly.
“More than two thousand people dying of covid daily in the US. So, when you hear omicron is mild, it can still kill you,” Umar had said in a Twitter post.
Get a booster dose!
Asad Umar said the latest research has shown that a booster dose provides significant protection against the highly transmissible virus. “So if it’s been 6 months since 2nd dose, get a booster,” he urged people.
According to official figures:
- Around 103,805,835 people have got at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine
- Over 80 million individuals have been fully vaccinated in the country
Cities with COVID infection rates above 10%
As the fifth wave of the coronavirus surges through the country, major cities in Pakistan have seen an uptick in test positive ratio. According to the NCOC data the cities with infection rates above 10 percent include:
- Karachi — 40.68%
- Muzaffarabad — 29.41%
- Peshawar — 23.89%
- Hyderabad — 21.53%
- Lahore — 15.83%
- Rawalpindi — 12.50%
New SOPs for Islamabad schools
Considering the surge in cases due to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, the ministry of education and Islamabad administration jointly prepared a new strategy to prevent the disruption of education in Islamabad schools.
According to the Islamabad deputy commissioner (DC), if a student is tested positive, instead of closing down the entire school, only the respective class will be quarantined and shifted to online classes.
