ISLAMABAD, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of Pakistan's COVID-19 positive cases has surged to 406,810 with 3,499 people being tested positive of the viral disease over the last 24 hours, the country's health ministry said on Thursday.

A total of 8,205 people died and 346,951 recovered from the disease in the country which is battling a serious second wave, the ministry said on its website.

Pakistan's southern Sindh province is currently the worst hit with 177,625 cases, followed by most populous province Punjab with 121,083 positive cases, the official figures revealed.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan said that the government has approved to allocate a budget of 150 million U.S. dollars for the purchase of vaccine and frontline health workers and people over 65 years of age will be the first to get the vaccine administered.

Meanwhile, Federal Parliamentary Secretary in the Health Ministry Nausheen Hamid said that the government will provide free of cost vaccine to its citizens and the vaccination will start in the second quarter of 2021.

The Pakistani government has also decided to observe "COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) compliance week" from Saturday for creating awareness in public about the significance of the SOPs in guarding against the disease.