Pakistan registers 114 coronavirus deaths

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan recorded 114 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, its highest single-day number during a third wave of the pandemic, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

The South Asian country registered 103 deaths on April 6, which was a daily record since December.

With the new casualties, most reported in northeastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkwa provinces, the death toll stands at 15,443.

Pakistan reported 5,050 new infections, bringing the total to 721,018.

About 631,700, patients have recovered and active cases are 73,875.

The nation of more than 200 million people has seen a sharp spike in infections in the past two weeks with around 50,000 cases reported in April alone.

Doctors warn that the third wave is likely to take less time to cross the peak of the first and the second waves.

The government has already imposed "broader lockdowns" in high-risk areas until April 13, with no movement allowed except for emergencies.

Pakistan is currently vaccinating frontline health care workers and citizens who are older than 50 using China's Sinopharm and CanSino doses.

Private hospitals in major cities have also started inoculation with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine imported by a pharmaceutical company.