Grappling through third COVID-19 wave, Pak records over new 5000 cases

Pakistan has registered over 5,000 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number of cases so far this year.

The country has reported 5,234 coronavirus cases, Dawn reported. With the new increase, the country tally has risen to 678,165. Pakistan is grappling through the third wave of coronavirus.

With 183 new fatalities, the death toll has reached 14,613, Dawn reported. The positivity rate has also climbed to 10.4 per cent, up from 9.9 per cent a day earlier.

Punjab province has reported the highest number of cases in the country with 2,772 new infections and 58 fatalities. The provincial tally has risen to 225,953 and the death toll is 6,485.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 1,156 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths during the last 24 hours. This is the third day in a row the province has reported more than 1,000 cases.

The provincial total is 89,255 and the death toll is 2,382.

Meanwhile, Balochistan reported 34 cases and 1 death. The provincial tally has risen to 19,610 and the death toll is 209.

To prevent the spread of the virus, the country's government continues to tighten social distancing and movement restrictions, implementing a new ban on all gatherings in areas with a high number of cases.

On Sunday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which is managing the country's coronavirus response, announced a slew of new measures to attempt to control the spike in infections, which appear to be centred in Punjab province and the capital Islamabad.

"All kind of gatherings (indoor/outdoor) will be banned with immediate effect," read a statement issued by the NCOC. "This will include all social, cultural, political, sports and other events."

( With inputs from ANI )