Islamabad, Aug. 23, (dpa/GNA) – Pakistan on Monday crossed another grim milestone of 25,000 coronavirus-related deaths as authorities struggle to contain the highly contagious Delta variant.
At least 80 new deaths were reported during the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 25,003, according to the Health Ministry.
Pakistan’s positive test rate was reported at 7 per cent, with 3,772 confirmed new cases. The country has so far reported 1,127,584 cases, according to official data.
The government-run vaccination drive started in February and was initially slow, but the campaign has started picking up pace. More than 46 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Millions of people in Pakistan remain unwilling to receive a shot despite a surge in new infections and sufficient vaccine supplies.
Domestic air travel for the unvaccinated has been banned from this month and there will be ban on train travel starting in October for the unvaccinated as part of the country’s measures to counter vaccine hesitancy.
GNA