According to the latest statistics provided by the federal government, the total cases have reached 590,508 while total coronavirus-related casualties have exceeded 13,200.

• In the last 24 hours, 1,780 new cases were detected in Pakistan while 39 more succumbed to the lethal flu bug.

• 559,248 patients have fully recovered from COVID-19 in the country.

The number of active cases currently present in Pakistan is at least 18,055. It must be noted that these represent only the diagnosed cases, the actual figure of active cases is expected to be much higher. The number of critical patients who are hospitalized in several COVID hospitals across the country is 1,595.

Pakistan was among the only few countries that were able to successfully contain the first wave of the virus. The second wave of COVID also didn't hit Pakistan hardest as the country fared better than most other countries. But this recent surge is concerning. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan also notified the public regarding the rising cases in the country, he took to Twitter yesterday writing:

COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in Pakistan are increasing once again. The decline seen over the past 2 months is clearly reversing as positivity has gone up from 3.31% to 4.16% within a week. We must remember that the pandemic is not over.

He also urged the public to follow Covid SOPs and avoid social gatherings.

Save lives by following SOPs. Please avoid crowded places (esp indoor & if poorly ventilated), wear a mask and wash your hands frequently. If you are a healthcare worker (any age) get vaccinated now. For all others, if you're above 60, send your CNIC (no spaces) to 1166 via SMS.

In reaction to the virus surge, the government has started implementing "Smart lockdowns" in the cities of Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar to curb the spread of the flu bug.