COVID-19: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumped to 195,504, recovery rate rose to 84,168

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 195,504 on Friday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of June 26, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 195,504 

• Sindh: 75,168

• Punjab: 71,987

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 24,303

• Balochistan: 9,946

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 11,981

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,398

• AJK: 962

Deaths: 3,962

• Punjab: 1,629

• Sindh: 1,178

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 879

• Balochistan: 109

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 119

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 23

• AJK: 25

As COVID-19 cases near 10 million, WHO warns of oxygen shortage

Head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday said the world faces a shortage of oxygen concentrators as the number of worldwide cases of coronavirus infection nears the 10 million mark.

“Many countries are now experiencing difficulties obtaining oxygen concentrators,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. “Demand is currently outstripping supply.”

The new coronavirus has hit 9.3 million people and killed more than 480,000 so far and is rising by about 1 million cases per week. This has pushed oxygen demand to 88,000 large cylinders per day, or 620,000 cubic metres of oxygen, Tedros said.

The sudden rise has created a dearth of oxygen concentrators needed to support breathing of COVID-19 patients suffering from respiratory distress.