“Statistics March 14, 22: total tests in last 24 hours: 31,201; positive cases: 462; positivity %: 1.48%; deaths: 2; patients on critical care: 577,” the NCOC said in a tweet.

The NCOC forum, which serves as the nerve centre of the country’s unified efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, also issued the countrywide virus tally. According to the data, Sindh topped the list with the maximum number of cases, 572,042, followed by Punjab (503,844), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (218,180), Islamabad (134,837), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (43,177), Balochistan (35,438), and Gilgit Baltistan (11,636).

The last time, the country reported such a low daily count was on January 10 data, as per NCOC data.

The Covid situation has witnessed a downward trend since the last month, with decreased virus statistics and increased vaccination among the public. However, standard operating procedures are still being implemented as experts have expressed fears over categorising virus variants as "mild" and called for breaking the chain of the virus.

Such a trend has apparently given ground to the government's decision to shut the NCOC. Special Assistant to the PM on Health Faisal Sultan in separate interviews to Dawn and The News on Saturday revealed that the responsibility to deal with the coronavirus data would be given to the National Institute of Health, Centres for Disease Control – another forum which also reviews the Covid situation and was the first to report the emergence of the Covid’s Omicron variant in the federal capital.

The NCOC forum was formed on March 27, 2020, on the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan with senior federal minister – Asad Umar – taking the lead. The forum, which also includes armed forces personnel, in coordination with health ministries and all federating units, reviews the Covid situation and takes decisions in view of obtained data. The NCOC came under the National Coordination Committee, which is presided over by PM Imran.