Pakistan on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day deaths ever during the second wave of coronavirus, reporting 111 fatalities amid reports that a new strain of coronavirus, similar to the one wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom, has also surfaced in Karachi.

Geo reported Coronavirus Task Force head Dr Attaur Rehman as saying that the authorities have discovered a new strain of coronavirus in the port city that is similar to the one spreading in Europe.

With the latest surge, the death toll in the country has reached 9,668. As per the breakdown, Punjab reported 51 deaths; Sindh 40 deaths; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14 deaths; Islamabad four deaths; while Balochistan reported only two deaths.

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This is the second time that the country has reported over 100 deaths during the second wave of the deadly infection. On Dec 15, it had reported 105 deaths. The highest number of deaths due to the coronavirus took place in June when 141 people lost their lives to the deadly contagion.

While, recoveries on the other hand have risen to 417,134 after 1,782 more people recovered, according to the government’s COVID-19 portal. The portal also showed that 2,361 virus patients are in critical condition.

Health experts see the ever-increasing coronavirus cases as a result of the poor compliance of the COVID-19 protocols. It is also feared that the health system might crash soon if the tally continues to surge at the current pace.