Coronavirus: Punjab faces shortage of test kits

Punjab is facing a shortage of coronavirus testing kits, with the provincial government reducing the number of tests for the infection over the past few days.

According to a report, complaints of shortage of coronavirus test kits have been received across Punjab, including Lahore.

As per data provided by the government, Punjab conducted 18,962 tests on April 29, 18,962 on April 30, 16,846 on May 1, 16,307 on May 2, 14,137 on May 3 and 16,844 on May 4.

Responding to queries, a spokesperson of the Punjab Health Department said the number of coronavirus tests have decreased due to a shortage in the testing kits, adding that it has yet not received the new supply of the kits since a week. "Tests of coronavirus patients admitted in government hospitals has also been affected," the official said. According to the official data provided by National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the positivity ratio in Pakistan stands at 9.17% as of today whereas the number of active cases is reported at 84,480.

With 119 new fatalities, the country's death toll stands at 18,590. Most deaths in the country were reported in Punjab followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In addition, nationwide recoveries were recorded at 738,727.

Punjab remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic both in terms of cases reported as well as deaths followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. So far, 310616 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Punjab, 287643 in Sindh, 121099 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22776, in Balochistan, 76696 in Islamabad, 17,397 in Azad Kashmir, and 5341 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Furthermore, 8741 individuals have lost their lives to the virus in Punjab, 4687 in Sindh, 3466 in KP, 239 in Balochistan, 698 in Islamabad, 491 in Azad Kashmir, and 107 in GB.

Asad Umar says number of registrations for the coronavirus vaccine have been increasing significantly. He adds that over 200,000 people got vaccinated against the virus a day earlier.

The number of registrants of the coronavirus vaccine have also exceeded five million. In a positive sign, the number of registrations for the coronavirus vaccine have been increasing significantly as over 200,000 people got vaccinated against the virus on Tuesday, said Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, the federal minister noted that the number of registrants of the coronavirus vaccines in the country has exceeded the five million mark. He also urged people who are 40 or above to get themselves vaccinated against the coronavirus, adding that people should continue observing coronavirus safety protocols.

Pakistan is currently vaccinating people who are 40 plus and healthcare workers with Chinese vaccines. A digital portal has been launched by the federal government for the registration through which a code is assigned to the person and then they can go to a designated vaccination centre to get the jab. The minister had previously announced that over 150,000 people were vaccinated across Pakistan on May 3.