ISLAMABAD: The number of Pakistan’s active COVID-19 cases exceeded 10,660 on Sunday, in what is another alarming sign of what authorities have been warning is a “resurgence” of the coronavirus in the country.
Since the imposition of lockdowns and restrictions that helped flatten the virus infection curve in June, the last time Pakistan’s active caseload exceeded 10,000 was on Aug. 23, when it reached 10,694.
After a gradual drop in cases, in September the government reopened all sectors that were shut down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including educational institutions. An uptick in infection figures has been observed since then, with health officials warning of a second coronavirus wave.
At least 847 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and nine have died in the past 24 hours, taking the number of active cases to 10,668 and bringing Pakistan’s total COVID-19 tally to 327,895, with 6,736 deaths. Over 560 patients were in critical condition as of Sunday.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the apex body that oversees COVID-19 efforts, said there was a “clear resurgence” of the coronavirus in the country and warned of fresh lockdowns if people did not follow coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).