After a 4.5-month hiatus, Pakistan’s COVID-19 death toll reached double digits in a single day, according to NIH data released on Saturday.
The NIH reports that 10 deaths have been reported in Pakistan in the last 24 hours, which is the most since 11 deaths were reported on March 4.
22,451 COVID-19 diagnostic tests were performed nationwide over the course of the previous 24 hours, and 737 of those results were positive, for a positivity ratio of 3.28 percent.
COVID-19 Statistics 16 July 2022
— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) July 16, 2022
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 22,451
Positive Cases: 737
Positivity %: 3.28%
Deaths: 10
Patients on Critical Care: 189
According to NIH, 189 COVID-19 patients are still in critical condition and receiving treatment at various hospitals.
Experts blame two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, for the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, saying that they have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.
They say 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.
According to data from the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH), Pakistan reported 779 new infections in a single day, raising the specter of daily COVID-19 cases once more.
On July 9, 732 infections were discovered, which was the last time Pakistan reported more than 700 cases.
Diagnostic testing on 22,099 samples from across the nation led to the discovery of the new infections, raising Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity rate to 3.53 percent and the overall case count to 1,544,910 in the process.
COVID-19
While 182 patients are still receiving care in critical care units at various hospitals across the nation, two people succumbed to the coronavirus overnight while undergoing treatment. But over the past 24 hours, 1,314 patients also made a full recovery.
COVID-19 Statistics 15 July 2022
— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) July 15, 2022
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 22,099
Positive Cases: 779
Positivity %: 3.53%
Deaths: 02
Patients on Critical Care: 182
The total number of COVID-19 cases that are still active after the latest deaths and recoveries is 9,665.
Due to escape mutations that give them an advantage, experts attribute the increase in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan to two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, known as BA.4 and BA.5.
They claim that the sub-variants have been spreading to individuals who have already received a vaccination or who have already contracted COVD-19, but there is no proof that these individuals are developing a serious illness as a result of the sub-variants.
At GENEVA The head of the World Health Organization bemoaned Tuesday that recent increases in COVID infections show the pandemic is far from over and issued a warning that the virus is in the wild.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the rising case numbers that were taxing the healthcare system and its staff.
The Omicron sub-variants and the lifting of control measures were the primary causes of the 30% increase in COVID cases reported to the WHO in the last two weeks.
The virus is still very much active, as evidenced by new waves. We must push back against the virus’s pushes, he insisted.
At a press conference, he stated that as transmission rises, governments must also implement tried-and-true strategies like mask use and better ventilation.
According to Tedros, “sub-variants of Omicron, like BA.4 and BA.5, continue to drive waves of cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities around the world.”
“Surveillance, including testing and sequencing, has significantly decreased, making it more challenging to assess the impact of variants on transmission, disease characteristics, and the efficacy of preventative measures.”
Additionally, the use of examinations, therapies, and vaccines is ineffective.
He stated that, both in terms of the hospitalization of acute cases and the rising number of people with Long COVID, “the virus is running freely and countries are not effectively managing the disease burden based on their capacity.”
inconsistent and uncertain.
The COVID-19 emergency committee of the WHO convened via video conference on Friday and determined that the pandemic continues to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the most serious warning the organization can issue.
The recent changes in testing regulations, according to WHO emergency director Michael Ryan, are making it more difficult to identify cases and track the development of viruses.
According to a statement released by the WHO on Monday, the committee emphasized the need to reduce transmission because it would be difficult to predict the effects of a pandemic brought on by a new respiratory virus.
The group expressed worry over sharp testing cuts that would lead to less surveillance and genomic sequencing.
This, according to the WHO, “hinders assessments of currently circulating and emerging variants of the virus,” making it harder to decipher trends in transmission.
According to the committee, the course of viral evolution and the traits of newly emerging variants are still “uncertain and unpredictable.”
According to the report, there is a greater chance of “new, fitter variants emerging, with varying degrees of virulence, transmissibility, and immune escape potential” if there are no measures in place to stop the spread of the disease.
Boost boost
For older people and other vulnerable groups, the WHO’s European office advised a second booster dose of the COVID vaccine.
