–451 new cases reported in 24 hours
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the provincial health department to start random testing of people visiting grocery and vegetable shops so that the local spread of coronavirus can be contained accordingly.
In a video message released from the CM House here on Wednesday, Shah said that cases of local spread were increasing equally in urban and rural areas.
He revealed that a villager who recently got infected on a visit to Hyderabad and infected many others when he returned to his village. “We checked 30 of his relatives and contacts; of them, nine were infected by him,” he deplored, adding that this case had led him to decide that random testing should be initiated at grocery and vegetable shops as well as other sich places which people often visit.
Shah said that random checking at grocery shops was aimed at checking the local spread and taking new steps to contain the virus.
“I have issued the directive and hope that the people will cooperate with the field staff of our labs,” he said.
The Sindh chief minister sharing the situation report of coronavirus said that 3,671 samples were tested as a result 451 new cases emerged while nine more people lost their lives while struggling against the infection.
He said that 3,671 tests were conducted between May 5 to May 6 and found 451 new cases. The number of tests conducted so far come to 72,544 against which 8640 cases were diagnosed. “451 cases against 3671 tests constitute 12.3 per cent positive rate,” he said, adding that the high ratio was alarming.
Shah said that nine patients succumbed to the virus infection talking the death toll to 157 which was 1.8 per cent of the total patients. “The good news is that 60 more patients have been cured and discharged, taking the number of patients who defeated the virus and recovered to 1,731 which makes a 20 per cent recovery rate,” he added.
Praying for the speedy recovery of those infected, the chief minister sharing the data of 6,752 patients under treatment said that 5,528 or 82 per cent of the patients were in home isolation, 721 or 10 per cent were at Isolation Centres, 503 were at different hospitals and 89 were in a critical condition out of whom 14 were on ventilators.
He said that out of 451 new cases 327 cases belong to Karachi and they include district Central 68, East 74, Korangi 25, Malir 26, South 87 and West 47 while over 6,084 cases existed in the city.
He added that 24 new cases have been diagnosed in Shikarpur, 19 Sukkur, seven Larkana, five Hyderabad, four Sujawal, three Ghoti, two Sanghar, one each in Matiari, Mirpurkhas and Dadu.
He said that different flights have brought back 2,369 stranded Pakistanis and all of them were tested. As a result, 515 of them came positive which was 22 per cent and assured that everyone was being taken care of properly.
The chief minister concluded by advising the people of the province to follow SOPs and observe social distancing.
It may be noted here that the Sindh CM participated in the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting that took place earlier in the day to discuss matters pertaining to post May 9 measures.
