Pakistan reports 1,918 coronavirus cases, total rises to 261,917

Pakistan reported 1,918 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the number of infections in the country to 261,917, the health ministry said. Out of the total infections, 198,509 patients have recovered, while 5,522 people have died of the disease. A total number of 57,886 cases are still active, the Ministry of National Health Services said.

Sindh reported 111,238 cases, Punjab 89,465, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 31,669, Islamabad 14,504, Balochistan 11,405, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 1,840 and Gilgit-Baltistan 1,796 cases, it said. The country's tally of COVID-19 cases reached 261,917 after 1,918 people tested positive for the disease.

The authorities performed 23,011 coronavirus tests in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 16,99,101, it said. In a tweet on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the number of coronavirus cases had gone down in Pakistan and urged people to strictly observe the standard operating procedures on the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha to prevent the spread of the virus.

Pakistan is amongst the countries where COVID-19 cases in hospitals, especially in intensive care, and death rate have gone down. This positive trend has been the result of the lockdown policy and the nation observing the government's standard operating procedures, Khan said. 

 Image: AP