pakistan 
Pakistan is battling with third wave of COVID-19 pandemic as infected cases continue to rise
Amid the ongoing third wave of Coronavirus outbreak, Pakistan recorded its highest single-day death toll on Wednesday. As per reports, 135 people died due to Coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Pakistan, making it the highest death toll in the country this year.
Previously, the country recorded the highest number of Coronavirus-related deaths on June 20, 2020, when 153 people succumbed to the disease. This year, the last highest death toll was recorded in February with 118 people dying due to COVID-19 in Pakistan. According to the latest data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan’s total death tally from COVID-19 now stands at 15,754. At the same time, the total number of active cases is at 76,757 currently.
Responding to the development, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar underlined that the new “more infectious and dangerous” UK variant of COVID-19 is driving the third wave of infections in the country.
Read More | 26 cities marked as COVID-19 hotspots, positivity ratio over 8 pc
As COVID-19 infections continue to rise in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on the public to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government with the aim of curbing the spread of the virus. On the occasion of Ramadan, President Arif Alvi also affirmed that the Holy Month provides an opportunity to people to live a cautious life amid prevailing circumstances.
“The third wave of Coronavirus is more intense and dangerous than ever before. The government, in consultation with religious scholars, have formulated special SOPs for mosques,” the President said, urging everyone to follow COVID-19 protocols to ensure safety.
The Imran Khan government launched the national vaccination drive on February 2, with more than 1.3 million people given the doses so far.
“Sixty to seventy thousand vaccines are currently being administered on a daily basis and it is our effort to enhance it to one hundred and fifty thousand to two hundred thousand after Eid-ul-Fitr,” Asad Umar said, addressing a presser on Tuesday.
Umar affirmed that the authorities will ramp up vaccination efforts after Eid to inoculate more people against the disease as Pakistan is expecting further delivery of COVID-19 vaccines from partner countries. The Minister has also noted that a budget of $150 million has been approved by the government to procure COVID-19 vaccines for everyone in the country. Meanwhile, the official data revealed that the country has conducted more than 10 million COVID-19 tests since the outbreak of Coronavirus.
