Coronavirus death toll in Pakistan crosses 10,000-mark

• 55 people have succumbed to coronavirus in the last 24 hours
• New variant of coronavirus reached Pakistan a day earlier. 
• Health department took samples of 12 UK returnees for genotyping on Tuesday. Three samples tested positive for new coronavirus variant

ISLAMABAD: The coronavirus death toll in Pakistan crossed the 10,000-mark on Wednesday with 55 new fatalities, according to the latest data shared by the National Command and Operation Center for the last 24 hours.

The NCOC data reads that 2,155 people tested COVID-19 positive during the last 24 hours after tests of 36,390 people.

Read about the new variant of coronavirus in Pakistan

The figure of active COVID-19 cases in the country is 37,080, while 430,113 people have recovered from the virus so far.

Analysis done by Geo.tv showed a 29% increase in COVID-19 deaths from December 13 to 20 when the virus claimed 560 lives compared to 434 deaths reported in seven days prior. 

New variant of coronavirus reaches Pakistan

Pakistan's first three cases of the new coronavirus strain were reported a day earlier in Karachi.

The new strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.17 lineage, is not the first variant of COVID-19 pandemic, but it is said to be up to 70% more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the UK.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Sindh Health Department said the new COVID-19 variant has been identified in samples taken from three passengers who recently returned from Britain.

The health department said it took samples of 12 UK returnees for genotyping out of which six tested positive for the coronavirus. "Three showed the new variant for the COVID-19 in the first phase of testing."

The press statement said the genotyping shows it to be a 95% match of the new strain initially detected in the UK. The authorities have begun tracing contacts of the patients and placing them under isolation.