A meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) is informed today that new cases due to Covid-19 in Pakistan have doubled in the last two weeks while the positivity ratio had increased to 7.46 percent in the last 24 hours.
According to the government’s database for tracking the spread of coronavirus in the country, 2,756 cases were confirmed on Nov 3, resulting in a positivity rate of 7.46pc.
The NCOC was informed that Azad Jammu and Kashmir has the highest Covid-19 positivity rate at 11.45pc, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 9.85pc, Sindh at 9.63pc, Balochistan at 7.73pc, and Gilgit-Baltistan at 5.23pc. Punjab has the lowest positivity rate in the country at 3.95pc.
According to the statement, the NCOC was also told that the number of infections had risen in several cities in Pakistan, including Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore and Faisalabad in Punjab; Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh; Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Swat in KP; Mirpur in AJK; Gilgit and Islamabad.
There had also been an increase in the number of infections reported at educational institutions across the country, with 19pc of total Covid-19 cases being recorded among students. The positivity ratio in educational institutions rose from 1.8pc to 3.3pc during the last week — an increase of 82pc.
Earlier this month, the countrywide positivity rate of Covid-19 cases again surpassed 5% after a gap of over three months. In Pakistan, the maximum positivity rate had reached 23pc in June as it had increased from 6pc in May; while the positivity rate was brought down to 1.7pc in September.
The NCOC meeting, which is being chaired by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, is also deliberating on decisions regarding educational institutions, according to the statement. Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood is also participating in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the country’s education ministers are also meeting today to take a final decision; on extended winter vacation as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise. Sources in the education ministry said the decision would be made after reviewing the situation; adding that the federal ministry would plead for announcing extended winter vacation from Nov 24 to Jan 31.
The ministry also suggested teaching students online during the holidays and through Tele-School, e-Taleem, and Radio School. The officials said the meeting would also take up a second option; whereby a limited number of students would attend schools; adding that under this plan, primary grade students would stop attending school from Nov 24.