Pakistan COVID-19 cases fall to lowest level in a year

Islamabad: Coronavirus cases have fallen to their lowest level in a year in Pakistan as 554 new cases were recorded during the last 24 hours on Wednesday.

The last time the country saw 531 cases in a single day was in mid-October 2020 when Pakistan was averaging between 400 to 700 cases daily a year ago.

Pakistan reported 12 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours. In total, Pakistan has reported 1,266,204 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 28,312 total confirmed COVID-related deaths, according to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data.

The country of 220 million has administered a total of 93.5 million doses as of October 20. At least 34.8 million people are fully vaccinated while nearly 65 million have received one dose of the vaccine. As many as 954,000 people were jabbed in the last 24 hours.

The government has further eased coronavirus restrictions, allowing the reopening of cinemas, shrines and outdoor activities for fully vaccinated citizens across the country. Pakistan has also started rolling out coronavirus booster shots for healthcare workers and Pakistanis travelling abroad.

Although the daily coronavirus cases are steadily declining, the NCOC chief Asad Umar has warned that there is a risk of the spread of the virus in the winter. Health officials are urging citizens to get fully vaccinated at the earliest as “There is a risk of the spread of the coronavirus picking up pace with the arrival of winter.”

Pakistan has announced several restrictions for unvaccinated citizens from October 1 including a ban on domestic and international travel and entry into educational institutions, shopping malls, restaurants.