Pakistan reports 737 new COVID-19 cases, 10 more deaths

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 16 (ANI): Pakistan reported 737 new COVID-19 cases and 10 more deaths from the pandemic during the last 24 hours, the country's health ministry said on Saturday.
Adding the new cases, the total tally of infected people increased to 1,545,647, while the death toll rose to 30,438, showed data released by the ministry.
On Friday, 22,451 tests for COVID-19 were conducted in Pakistan and the positivity rate stood at 3.28 per cent, Xinhua reported.
Currently, there are 189 active cases who are in critical condition in the South Asian country.
Pakistan is currently witnessing a new surge in COVID-19 cases.
Experts said that the two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, are responsible for the spread of COVID-19. They said that these variants have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.
Experts also said that the sub-variants have also been infecting people who are already vaccinated or have already been infected with COVID-19, but no evidence is available to show if they are causing any severe disease among the vaccinated people, Geo News reported.
Amid fears of a new wave of coronavirus, experts advocated mask-wearing indoors in cities reporting cases that constitute over 5 per cent positivity.
They also stressed vigilant watch through good surveillance and testing, vaccination with emphasis on boosters and communication about rising risk, especially in urban settings. (ANI)