Pakistan reports 599 new Covid-19 cases, 3 more deaths

The active Covid-19 cases in Pakistan exceeded the 10,000 mark on Thursday after the country reported 599 new Covid-19 infections and three more deaths during the last 24 hours, the country's National Institute of Health (NIH) said.

"COVID-19 Statistics 21 July 2022 Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 21,315 Positive Cases: 599 Positivity %: 2.81% Deaths: 03 Patients on Critical Care: 170," the NIH said in a tweet.

A total of 21,315 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in Pakistan during the past 24 hours. The active case count in the country stands at 10,004 cases.

The tally of infected people went up to 1,548,394 with the new cases, according to the data released by NIH.

With three more deaths, the death toll due to the virus climbed to 30,455 in the country.

The positivity rate stands at 2.81 per cent. Currently, there are 170 active cases that are in critical condition.

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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