FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: The number of positive coronavirus cases on Saturday surged to 354,461 after 2,165 more tested positive for Covid-19 across the country.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 2,165 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 and 17 lost their lives in the fight against coronavirus in the last 24 hours with the national tally of fatalities rising to 7,109.

The total number active cases in the country are 24,938, it says.

Country reported 2,304 cases on Friday.

According to the official data, Sindh province remains the worst hit by the pandemic followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the federal capital.

With the emergence of new cases, the total number of coronavirus cases in Sindh province surged to 153,873, in Punjab 109,309, 41,723 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23,533 in Islamabad, 16,328 in Balochistan, 5,261 in Azad Kashmir, and 4,434 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

It says that 34,535 tests have been conducted during the last 24 hours, with which the total number of tests of Covid-19 stand at 4,881,640.

Out of total 354,461 Covid-19 patients 322,414 have so far recovered, the data says.

Out of 153,873 cases reported in Sindh, 142,082 patients have recovered and 2,722 died, in Punjab 97,731 patients have recovered, 2,462 died out of total 109,309 cases.

Similarly, out of 41,723 cases reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 38,694 have recovered, and 1,305 died due to the infection.

In the federal capital, 20,036 Covid-19 patients have so far recovered and 253 have died out of 23,533 cases reported in the city since the outbreak of the disease.

According to the data, out of 16,328 cases reported in Balochistan, 15,801 recovered, and 155 died.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, 4,188 patients have recovered and 93 died out of total cases of 4,434, while in Azad Kashmir so far 119 died, and 3,882 recovered out of 5,261 cases.

The data says that the total number of active cases in Sindh province was 9,069, in Punjab 9,116, in Islamabad 3,224, in Khyber Pakhtunkwa 1,724, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir 1,260, in Balochistan 372, and in Gilgit-Baltistan 153.

According to District Health Office (DHO) Islamabad, 411 cases of Covid-19 reported out of 6,267 tests conducted in the various parts of the city.

The positivity rate rose to 6.5 percent during the last 24 hours, it says.

Deputy Speaker of KP Assembly Mehmood Jan and his wife and son have tested positive for novel coronavirus.

The deputy speaker quarantined himself after receiving the test report.

Similarly, President Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) Muhammad Shahbaz Jameel also contracted the virus.