Pakistan reported 459 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, the country's National Institute of Health said on Tuesday.
The tally of infected people increased to 1,547,203 after adding the new cases, according to the data released by the health institute.
A total of 16,419 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in Pakistan during the last 24 hours and the positivity rate stood at 2.80 per cent, the Dawn newspaper reported citing the NIH.
Currently, there are 163 COVID-19 active cases who are in critical condition in the South Asian country.
"COVID-19 Statistics 19 July 2022 Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 16,419 Positive Cases: 459 Positivity %: 2.80% Deaths: 00 Patients on Critical Care: 163," said National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan.
Pakistan is currently witnessing a new surge in COVID-19 cases.
Experts said that the two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, are responsible for the spread of COVID-19. They said that these variants have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.
Experts also said that the sub-variants have also been infecting people who are already vaccinated or have already been infected with COVID-19, but no evidence is available to show if they are causing any severe disease among the vaccinated people, Geo News reported.
Amid fears of a new wave of coronavirus, experts advocated mask-wearing indoors in cities reporting cases that constitute over 5 per cent positivity.
They also stressed vigilant watch through good surveillance and testing, vaccination with emphasis on boosters and communication about rising risk, especially in urban settings.
( With inputs from ANI )
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