Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): Pakistan reported 656 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday while the positivity ratio remained 3.35% during the last 24 hours.
As per data shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), 19,611 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country during the last 24 hours.
One death was reported from the disease in the last 24 hours while 161 patients were on critical care across the country. The current positivity ratio stands at 3.35%.
COVID-19 Statistics 01 August 2022
— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) August 1, 2022
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 19,611
Positive Cases: 656
Positivity %: 3.35%
Deaths: 01
Patients on Critical Care: 161
Meanwhile, the NIH has asked people to adhere to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the government to prevent spread of COVID-19 during Muharram procession.
It is pertinent to mention that BA5, part of the Omicron family, is to cause widespread waves of infection globally.
The variant is not new as first identified in January, BA5 has been tracked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since April.
It is a sister variant of the Omicron strain that has been dominant worldwide since the end of 2021 and has already caused spikes in case rates, even with reduced testing, in countries including South Africa, where it was first found, as well as the United Kingdom (UK), parts of Europe, and Australia.