Pakistan reports 1,194 new COVID-19 cases, 57 more deaths

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 12 (ANI): Pakistan has recorded 1,194 new COVID-19 cases and 57 deaths, the country's National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) informed on Saturday.
The overall cases in the country reached 939,931, including 875,581 recoveries, according to NCOC. As many as 42,717 active cases are under treatment across the country, including 2,760 those who are in critical condition.
So far, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed 21,633 in Pakistan.
Pakistan's Punjab province continued to be the worst-hit region by the pandemic with 343,703 infections and 10,479 deaths. Meanwhile, Sindh has reported 327,021 cases and 5,220 deaths.
Earlier this week, NCOC had announced that coronavirus vaccines will be mandatory for all public and private sector employees, adding that government employees must be fully vaccinated by the end of this month.
Amid the slow vaccination rate in the country, the Pakistan government has given the approval to allocate USD 1 billion for vaccine procurement.
In an unconventional move to tackle vaccine hesitancy, the provincial government in Pakistan's Punjab has decided to block SIM cards of all those citizens who refuse to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19, ARY News reported.
This decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Provincial health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid in Lahore on Thursday.
As the third wave continues to affect the South Asian country, vaccine hesitancy still remains at large throughout the country. (ANI)