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COVID claims two more lives; 693 fresh cases reported in Pakistan

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  • NIH data indicates a marginal increase in new COVID-19 cases in Pakistan.
  • 23,423 diagnostic tests were performed in the last 24 hours.
  • Positivity ratio in the last 24 hours was 2.96% across the country.

A marginal increase was witnessed on Saturday in new COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, data from the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) showed.

According to the NIH data, 23,423 diagnostic tests were performed in the last 24 hours, with 693 returning positive, indicating a 2.96% positivity ratio.

The virus claimed two more lives in the last 24 hours, bringing up the national toll to 30,464.

NIH said 180 COVID-19 patients are still being treated in intensive-care units (ICU) at various medical facilities across the country.

What is COVID BA.5 variant?

BA.5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest coronavirus variant to cause widespread waves of infection globally.

According to the World Health Organisation’s most recent report, it was behind 52% of cases sequenced in late June, up from 37% in one week. In the United States, it is estimated to be causing around 65% of infections.

BA.5 is not new. First identified in January, it has been tracked by the WHO since April.

It is a sister variant of the Omicron strain that has been dominant worldwide since the end of 2021 and has already caused spikes in case rates — even with reduced testing — in countries including South Africa, where it was first found, as well as the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, and Australia.

Coronavirus cases worldwide have now been rising for four weeks in a row, WHO data showed.

Why is it spreading?

Like its closely related sibling, BA.4, BA.5 is particularly good at evading the immune protection afforded either by vaccination or prior infection.

For this reason, “BA.5 has a growth advantage over the other sublineages of Omicron that are circulating,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, told a news briefing on Tuesday.

For many people, this means that they are getting re-infected, often even a short time after having COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said the WHO is assessing reports of re-infections.

“We have ample evidence that people who’ve been infected with Omicron are getting infected with BA5. No question about it,” said Gregory Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

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Citizens can apply for a passport in any Pakistani city.

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By changing the rules governing passports, the government made the application procedure easier and eliminated the need for address-based issuance.

According to the recently released memoranda, the requirement that applicants apply for a passport exclusively from the address listed on their National Identity Card has been lifted, allowing individuals to apply from any place in Pakistan.

It is anticipated that this modification will significantly alleviate the delays and complexities that nationals previously experienced as a result of jurisdictional limits.

Nationally, regional passport offices have been informed of the revised regulations. With the new regulation, citizens will have more freedom and accessibility as they are no longer limited to applying within certain parameters.

According to the Director General of Passports, the adjustment was proposed in order to alleviate the challenges that the public was facing. “The citizens will now be eligible to apply for a passport from any city in Pakistan, streamlining the process and improving accessibility across the board” , said the top government official.

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US-Pakistan Discusses Democracy and Human Rights When Pakistani Ambassador Calls Congress

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Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, spoke with Congressmen Jim Mcgovern and Susan Wild over the phone recently.

The conversation centered on human rights and democratic values, as well as strengthening Pakistan-U.S. bilateral ties.

Throughout the call, the officials concurred that continuing contact is crucial to enhancing and growing Pakistan-U.S. ties.

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Business

The economic outlook for Pakistan. Report: The Economy Will Continue Its Sustainable Recovery

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Stability in the external and fiscal sectors, along with large financial inflows, have helped Pakistan show a steady recovery in the first quarter of FY2024–25.

The October economic outlook from the Finance Ministry emphasizes encouraging developments, such as the 1.03 billion dollar first tranche from the IMF’s extended financial facility, which improves macroeconomic stability.

A 3.7 percent increase in total fertilizer production and a 115.9 percent increase in imports of agricultural gear are significant achievements.

In August 2024, large-scale manufacturing grew 4.7 percent month over month, even if it decreased by 0.2 percent in July and August of the same year.

September 2024 had a 44-month low of 6.9 percent consumer price index inflation, down from 31.4 percent the year before.

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