Pakistan reported 4,950 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours with a positivity rate of 8.46pc , the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Saturday.

The NCOC said the country's number of overall confirmed cases has jumped to 1,029,811, including 940,164 recoveries.

A total of 23,360 people have died of the disease, including 65 patients who died over the last 24 hours, the NCOC said, adding that 3,187 people are in critical condition.

According to a statement by the NCOC, the country's southern Sindh province has been the worst hit, with a total of 380,093 cases, followed by east Punjab province where the disease was detected in 356,211 people.

Considering a sharp rise in the number of new cases in Sindh province, the provincial government has decided to impose a lockdown from Saturday till Aug. 8.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has administered 29,648,055 doses of vaccine so far. A total of 904,740 doses have been administered over the last 24 hours, according to the NCOC