ISLAMABAD, July 11 (Xinhua) - Pakistan on Saturday reported 1,980 new COVID-19 cases as the country is witnessing a rising trend in daily cases, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Sunday.

The NCOC, the department leading Pakistan's campaign against the pandemic, said that the country's number of overall confirmed cases had risen to 973,284, including 913,203 recoveries.

The number of active cases has risen to 37,499 who are under treatment across the country, including 2,119 critical patients.

According to the NCOC, the pandemic killed 27 people on Saturday, increasing the overall death toll to 22,582.

Pakistan's eastern Punjab province is the most affected region of the country with 348,085 infections and 10,819 deaths followed by the southern Sindh province which has reported 346,360 cases and 5,599 deaths so far. Sindh has 23,350 active cases while Punjab has 8,499 active cases.