148 more deaths & 5,499 new cases reported during last 24 hours

The novel coronavirus has claimed 148 more lives in Pakistan during the last 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 16,600.

The number is the third-highest coronavirus fatalities since the pandemic emerged last year.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19, the country reported 148 more deaths due to the pandemic, while 5,499 new cases were reported during the said period.

The national tally of confirmed cases climbed to 772,381 as 5,499 new infections surfaced during the past 24 hours.

As many as 47,301 samples were tested, out of which 5,499 turned out to be positive with 11.62 per cent positivity rate.

The total number of people recuperating from the disease stands at 672,619, while 4,528 patients are critically ill due to COVID and are currently under treatment at the country’s various hospitals.

Punjab remains the worst coronavirus-hit province with 276,535 cases of pandemic reported so far. Sindh follows second with 274,196.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 108,462 have been reported so far as per the COVID national dashboard, 21,127 in Balochistan, 70,984 in Islamabad, 15,873 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 5,204 cases have been reported in Gilgit Baltistan so far.