Islamabad, Jun 14 (IANS): The total number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has increased to 132,399, of which nearly 50,000 were reported this month alone, while the death toll stood at 2,551, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the country reported 6,472 new virus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day tally since the pandemic hit Pakistan earlier this year, reports The Express Tribune.

Another 88 patients lost their lives due to COVID-19 across the country, taking the overall toll to 2,551, while 40,247 patients have successfully recovered and been discharged from hospitals, according to the Ministry.

Some 839,019 people have so far been tested in the country of over 200 million people, with nearly 30,000 conducted over the past 24 hours.

On May 9, the country's total confirmed cases were 29,465, when Prime Minister Imran Khan announced an easing of the lockdown in phases, but just one month later it had reached nearly 126,000.

The World Health Organization has declared Pakistan the second-riskiest country after Afghanistan in terms of vulnerability to the pandemic.