Pakistan recorded an uptick in number of daily fatalities due to Covid as 42 people died of the coronavirus over the last 24 hours, according to the National Command and Operation Centre data.

Punjab topped in daily Covid fatalities with 16 deaths followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which recorded 14 fatalities of the virus. Sindh was third with 9 deaths due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

At least 1,590 people infected with the virus are on critical care across the country.

Countrywide non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) helped in bringing the Covid positivity rate below 10 per cent since the beginning of February. At least 9.75 per cent positivity rate was recorded during the last 24 hours with 5,830 new infections across the country, as per the NCOC data published on Thursday.

Among the major cities of the country, Peshawar had topped in positivity ratio with 25.28 per cent rate, according to the NCOC data published on Wednesday.

As the vaccination drive continued across the country, Ministry of National Health Services on Thursday tweeted: "Half of Pakistan’s school going children have been vaccinated against Covid."

The vaccination drive for children 12 years and above started last year in September.

As per the Covid monitoring body, NCOC, data, at least 83 million people have been fully vaccinated against the virus, more than 106 million people have received their first dose and more than two million people have been inoculated booster dose of vaccine since the vaccination campaign has started across the country.