ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported 502 new COVID-19 positive cases the first day of Eid ul Adha, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The rise in COVID-19 cases across the country took the positivity rate down to 2.73%.
A total of 18,385 tests were performed in the last 24 hours to diagnose coronavirus, of which 502 came back positive, NIH stats showed.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 1,542,879 after the new infections were confirmed.
In addition to this, only one death from the infection was reported, taking the death toll to 30,421.
As per the NIH stats, the condition of 145 more patients with the virus is critical.
Experts blame two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, for the rise in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, saying that they have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.
They say the sub-variants have also been infecting people who are already vaccinated or have already been infected with COVD-19, but no evidence is available to show if they are causing any severe disease among the vaccinated people.