Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar also warned that if the surge is not brought under control then tougher restrictions might be imposed.

"If the increase continues at this rate then in the next few days or next week, we will go beyond the level and peak we saw in the first wave in June and you all must remember what the situation was at the time," the Minister was quoted as saying by Dawn News.

"The reason behind sharing all this is not to create fear but to alert the nation so it can decisively act together and follow a plan of action to confront the challenge posed by Covid-19," he said.

"Our first effort is this (protection of livelihoods) but you're seeing the speed with which this is continuing to spread. If we don't take immediate measures then such a situation can also develop that we have to do further restrictions," the Minister was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Pakistan is reportedly witnessing the third wave of COVID-19 cases.

The south Asian nation reported 4,468 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.

This marks the highest single-day increase since June 21, 2020, according to data collected by Dawn News reported when 4,916 cases were reported.