With 255 new cases, Pakistan records 5-months-high highest ever COVID-19 positivity rate

Islamabad: Pakistan recorded the highest COVID-19 positivity ratio of 5.46 per cent during a single day, which is the highest in the last five months, according to the National Institute of Health.

During the last 24 hours, 255 new cases of COVID-19 were found in the country, and one death was reported, taking the death toll to 30,424, Geo News reported.

"COVID-19 Statistics 12 July 2022 Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 4,674 Positive Cases: 255 Positivity %: 5.46% Deaths: 01 Patients on Critical Care: 141," the National Institute of Health tweeted.

According to the NIH, out of the total cases, 141 COVID-19 patients are critical and are being treated in intensive care units (ICU) at different medical facilities.

As many as 4,674 diagnostic tests were conducted across the country during the past 24 hours.
The last time was on February 17 when the country recorded a positivity rate of 5.55 per cent. The death toll stood at 40.

Pakistan is currently witnessing a new surge in COVID-19 cases and amid this, the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also tweaked its mask mandates where now the masks are mandatory again for domestic flights with immediate effect.

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)