National positivity rate hits 9.71pc as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, NCOC told

The national positivity rate has been recorded at 9.71 per cent as Covid-19 cases across the country continue to soar, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was told on Monday.

Over the last 24 hours, 3,795 cases have been reported in the country, according to NCOC data — the highest since July 2. Thirty seven people passed away from the virus in the same time.

Additionally, it was revealed that more than 40,000 tests were being conducted daily for the past two weeks, 40pc of which were conducted through contact tracing. According to data, 81pc of the positive cases have been detected in urban centres. Last week, the NCOC was told that Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi were contributing 70 per cent of coronavirus cases in Pakistan.

The forum was also briefed today on the measures taken by governments of provinces and federal territories to ensure the compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) between December 5-12.

The highest positivity rate among cities was recorded in Karachi, where 21.31pc tests came out positive. In Abbottabad, positivity rate was 17.86pc — the second highest in the country — while in Peshawar 16.66pc of the tests are turning up positive.

Among provinces and federal territories, Sindh has the highest positivity rate of 15.83pc while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir 11.93pc of the tests are turning out to be positive. Balochistan has the third highest positivity rate in the country, where 11.61pc of hte people who got tested were positive.

The positivity rate in provinces and federal territories is as follows:

• Sindh: 15.83pc
• AJK: 11.93pc
• Balochistan: 11.61pc
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 8.22pc
• Islamabad: 8.20pc
• Punjab: 5.54pc
• Gilgit Baltistan: 2.89pc

At the moment, 4,503 smart lockdowns have been imposed in different areas across the country.

About 2,539 patients are in critical condition and the number was rising, the forum was told.