Amid the fifth wave of the novel coronavirus, Pakistan has reported as many as 7,978 cases out of the 64,016 tests conducted over the last 24 hours.

The Covid statistics were shared by the National Command and Operation Centre in a tweet on Sunday. “Statistics 30 Jan 22: total tests in last 24 hours: 64,016; positive cases: 7,978; positivity %: 12.46%; deaths: 29; patients on critical care: 1,455,” it read.

The NCOC forum, which serves as the centre of the country’s unified efforts to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, would conduct a fresh review of non-pharmaceutical interventions on February 10 in view of the prevailing Covid situation in the country. The World Health Organisation and medical experts have stressed the need for following the SOPs even if the people have been inoculated with the anti-Covid jab.

Most of the cases are reported to have been caused by Omicron – the new coronavirus variant – which appeared to be less severe but according to the WHO should not be categorised as “mild”.

The countrywide Covid tally showed that Sindh reported the highest number of cases, 540,023, followed by Punjab with 476,420 then Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 192,519. It showed that Islamabad reported 126,473 cases, Balochistan 34,342, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 37,572, and Gilgit Baltistan 10,642.

Moreover, Aaj News reported that the Covid positivity ratio was recorded more than 46.77% in Nowshera, followed by Peshawar 35.76%, Muzaffarabad 34, and Karachi 20.67. Furthermore, Punjab reported 9.0%, Lahore 19.3%, Faisalabad 17.4%, Bahawalpur 17%, Rawalpindi 16.1%, and Islamabad 14.77%.