Pakistan reports zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time in two years

COVID Vaccination

For the first time in two years, there have been zero reported deaths from the coronavirus in Pakistan for two consecutive days on March 22 and 23.

“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) no COVID-related deaths reported in the country in the last 24 hours,” said Minister Asad Umar, who heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which oversees the pandemic response in the country. “This is the first time in two years that this has happened,” he said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated his government for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I want to congratulate my government for the way we handled the COVID pandemic — better than all the countries in South Asia,” he said on Twitter, citing the South Asia Index data which indicated that Pakistan has fared better as compared to other South Asian countries during the pandemic, with the lowest unemployment rate in the region during 2020-22.

Downward COVID-19 trend in Pakistan

The country of 220 million is witnessing a continuing trend as COVID-19 infections significantly drop in Pakistan, according to the latest stats by the NCOC. Pakistan reported 210 new infections in the last 24 hours. The coronavirus positivity rate currently stands at 0.98 per cent. According to the official data, a total of 30,333 people died of the pandemic so far in the country in the last two years.

On March 6, Pakistan reached the milestone of fully vaccinating 100 million of its citizens against coronavirus. Around 46 per cent of Pakistan’s 220 million population is now fully vaccinated. Nearly 58 per cent (127 million) have received at least one dose. Pakistan has also administered over 4.9 million COVID-19 booster shots nationwide, according to NCOC data.

Two years after the pandemic, Pakistan announced removing all coronavirus-related restrictions in mid-March 2022 following a continual decline in infections across the country and to “return towards a normal, ordinary life.”