Pakistan reports 357 new COVID-19 cases, 7 more deaths

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan recorded 357 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Saturday.

The country's total number of confirmed cases has risen to 1,290,848, according to the NCOC, the department leading Pakistan's campaign against the pandemic.

Another seven people lost their lives due to the pandemic over the past 24 hours in the Asian country, taking the overall coronavirus death toll to 28,870, according to the NCOC.

During the period, 239 patients recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,252,396, said the NCOC.

The southern Sindh province is the worst-affected region by the pandemic with 478,942 infections, followed by the eastern Punjab province with 444,119 cases.