Global tally crosses 40 million infections
The arrival of winter in the northern hemisphere has resulted in an unprecedented resurgence in spread of the novel coronavirus disease, with the global case tally crossing 40 million on Monday, October 19. These figures are provided by Reuter, which collects information based on official reporting from different countries, as experts believe that the true number of cases is much higher due to testing deficiencies as well as under reporting by some countries.
The daily global case count rose by more than 400,000 last week for the first time since the onset of the contagion. An average of 347,000 cases per day were recorded last week, as opposed to 292,000 in the first week of October.
The worst affected countries in the world still remain the United States, India and Brazil. Since the start of the virus, over 1.1 million people have died, with the global fatality rate hovering around 2.8 percent. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global death toll could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is released, due to the lack of action against increasing cases.
Active Islamabad cases cross 1,000
On Sunday, October 18, active cases in the capital territory crossed the 1,000 mark, while the total infection tally reached 17,996.
A series of ‘smart’ lockdowns has been imposed by the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) in selected parts of the city to prevent the further transmission of the disease. Inspection teams have been deployed into public places to crack down on SOP violations.
The official of Ministry of National Health Services has said that many local-level administrative decisions have been taken to rein in the spread of the virus. The main focus of the strategy is allowing small and poor traders to continue their business activities in order to maintain the livelihood of many daily wage workers, while controlling the transmission of the disease.
COVID-19 fatalities in Punjab, Sindh
Ten succumbed to the virus in Punjab on Sunday, October 19, with the most number of fatalities being reported in Lahore, and others in Multan, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi. According to the health authorities, 97,089 COVID-19 patients in Punjab have recovered since the outbreak of the disease. The death toll has risen to 2,298, while a total of 101,559 infections have been recorded across the province till date.
On the other hand, in Sindh, two people died of the novel coronavirus disease while 135 people emerged virus-positive. The death toll in the province has reached 2,581. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah added that the recent coronavirus fatalities occurred in the province’s Karachi Division: one was reported in the city’s East district and the other in the West district.