Pakistan records 779 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths

Islamabad: Pakistan reported 779 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths during the last 24 hours, the country's National Institute of Health said on Friday.

The tally of infected people increased to 1,544,912 after adding the new cases, according to the data released by the health institute. A total of 22,099 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in Pakistan while the positivity rate stood at 3.53 per cent, Geo News reported citing NIH.

This is the second time since July 9 that the daily COVID-19 count has neared the 800 mark. On July 9, the country reported 732 new COVID-19 infections.

According to the NIH, out of the total cases, 182 COVID-19 patients are critical and are being treated in intensive care units (ICU) at different medical facilities.

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 COVD-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. (ANI)