Amid COVID-19 surge, 26 cities in Pakistan report over 8 pc positivity rate

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 30 (ANI): With Pakistan President Arif Alvi and Defense Minister Pervez Khattak contracting COVID-19, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday identified 26 cities with over eight per cent positivity ratio.
An age and gender distribution chart showed that people in the age group of 20 to 40 years were the most affected by COVID-19, although the highest rate of casualties was reported in patients above 60 years of age, reported Dawn.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, meanwhile, urged provinces to procure vaccines.
The 26 cities reporting over eight per cent positivity rate include Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Swat and more.
Meanwhile, Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus. This comes as the Pakistani President and his wife Samina Alvi received the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm earlier this month, according to Xinhua.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had also announced that Defence Minister Pervez Khattak had also tested positive for COVID-19.
On March 20, Prime Minister Imran Khan had also tested positive for COVID-19 after which he had self-isolated himself. The premier had also been inoculated on March 18 -- two days before he tested positive for the virus.
On March 28, the NCOC had imposed a ban on all kinds of gatherings and wedding ceremonies in cities where the infection rate was more than eight per cent. The centre had also suggested reduction in transportation between provinces and advised the provincial governments to expedite vaccination against the deadly virus, reported Dawn.
The NCOC data showed that 4,525 cases and 41 deaths were reported in a single day while 387 ventilators were in use. The number of active cases stood at 46,663 while 3,648 patients were admitted to hospitals across the country on Monday.
According to Johns Hopkins University, Pakistan has recorded 6,63,200 infections and registered 14,356 deaths. (ANI)