–505 stranded Pakistanis reach Karachi, 69 test positive for COVID-19
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah said Wednesday that for the first time, 404 new cases of coronavirus had been diagnosed as positive and eight patients died during the last 24 hours, taking the viral disease death toll to three digits, 100 across Sindh.
“This is a very serious situation because we are detecting more cases and taking more bodies through the 20.5 per cent recovery ratio is encouraging, we have to save the lives of our people,” he disclosed in his regular video message in which he unfolds the coronavirus situation in the Sindh province.
The chief minister said that 404 new cases emerged as positive from 3,729 tests. “This is quite worrisome that out of 404 cases, 332 belong to Karachi,” he said and added, “Karachi is on the increase in terms of new cases and deaths of the patients.”
Shah said that so far, the government has conducted 51,790 tests against which the number of cases detected came to 5695. “The 404 new cases constitute 10.8 per cent of 3,729 tests conducted during the last 24 hours,” he said.
The chief minister said that 4,426 patients were under treatment, including 3,187 or 72 per cent in home isolation, 762 or 17 per cent at isolation centres, and 477 or 11 per cent at different hospitals. “Our 54 patients are in critical condition, of them, 18 are on a ventilator,” he disclosed.
He said that 208 patients had recovered from the infection of the coronavirus and returned to their homes added that overall recovery stood at 1,169 patients or 20.5 per cent.
Karachi situation: In Karachi division, the chief minister said that 332 new cases had been reported. Sharing the district-wise details, he said that South had 113 new cases, East 100, Central 39, Korangi 37, West 26, and Malir 17.
“I want to request the people of Karachi to adopt precautionary measures, including wearing the masks, keeping at a distance from children and elderly people, avoid going out of home unnecessarily, otherwise, results would be horrible,” he said.
The chief minister, sharing the data of other districts, said that 14 new cases had been diagnosed as positive in Sukkur, 13 each in Khairpur and Larkana, seven each in Shaheed Benazirabad and Shikarpur. Shah said that the local spread in rural areas is also increasing. “We will not be able to defeat the novel virus unless our people will cooperate,” he said.
The chief minister said that two flights from Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi had brought back 505 stranded Pakistan to Karachi. “They all were tested, as a result, 69 of them were diagnosed as positive and 39 results are yet to come,” he disclosed. He added out of 69 COVID-19 positive cases, 22 belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 to Sindh, 19 Punjab, five Baluchistan, and two Azad Kashmir.
Shah said that the testing capacity of the lab operating in Sindh was being enhanced and a new lab at Larkana was being established. Shah said that some industrial units and online businesses had been allowed to operate, but they would have to follow the SOPs.
“We have to secure ourselves and others also,” he said.
