ISLAMABAD: As many as 3,359 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in the country in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 240,847.

61 more people fell prey to the highly contagious disease during this period, pushing the country’s death toll to 4,983, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on coronavirus.

3,359 new cases were detected when 24,333 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours. 90,594 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment while 145,311 patients have recuperated from the disease thus far.

99,362 cases have been detected in Sindh so far, 84, 587 in Punjab, 29,052 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,052  in Balochistan, 13,731 in Islamabad, 1,459 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 1,605 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Global cases go past 12 million

Global coronavirus cases have exceeded 12 million, according to a Reuters tally, as evidence mounts of the airborne spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.

The number of cases is triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization.

Many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the novel virus, while others, such as China and Australia, implement another round of shutdowns in response to a resurgence in infections. Experts say alterations to work and social life could last until a vaccine is available.

The first case was reported in China in early January and it took 149 days to hit 6 million cases. It has taken less than a third of that time – just 39 days – to double to 12 million cases, the tally shows.