Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 1,253,868 on Tuesday after 1,212 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country during the last 24 hours.
Overall 461,258 cases were confirmed in Sindh, 434,139 in Punjab, 175,012 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 33,004 in Balochistan, 105,839 in Islamabad 10,338 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 34,278 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 46, 477 tests were conducted in last 24 hours while positivity ratio remained 2.60%.
According to the government's COVID-19 portal, the death toll related to coronavirus has reached to 27,986 with 39 fatalities reported during the last 24 hours.
Over the last twenty four hours, total number of recovered COVID-19 patients across the country reached 1,181,054 after another 2,171 virus recoveries were reported.
Meanwhile, a foreign news agency reported that Merck has announced a supply and purchase agreement that will provide Singapore with access to its experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug, the latest Asian country to try to snap up supplies.
Molnupiravir is designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the virus and would be the first oral antiviral medication for Covid-19. Merck is seeking approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration for the pill.
“Singapore's health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the Merck agreement,” the report said.
It is pertinent to mention that the global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 236.631 million and death toll tops 4,832,195.