–Shah says province experiencing peak of pandemic as 709 new cases reported in 24 hours
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah said that statistics showed that the death ratio due to coronavirus in Sindh was lower than Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and termed it a result of the lockdown.
Sharing the coronavirus bulletin with the traders’ community with whom he met at the Sindh Assembly here on Sunday, Shah said that the ratio of positive cases is on the increase because it is the peak of the pandemic in the province.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Dr Azra Pechuho, Saeed Ghani, Imtiaz Shaikh, Nasir Shah, Ikram Dharejo, Law Advisor Murtaza Wahab, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Sindh IGP Mushtaq Maher, Home Secretary Usman Chachar, Additional IGP Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon, Qasim Siraj Teli, and leaders of different trade organisations.
At the outset of the meeting, the Sindh CM said that 709 new cases had emerged in the province during that last 24 hours after 4,215 suspects were tested. The new cases constitute 17 per cent of the total tested suspects.
“So far, the government has conducted 91,323 tests out of which 11,480 cases, making 12.6 per cent of the total tests, were positive,” he explained.
According to further details, at present, 9,210 patients are under treatment, of them 7,973 or 86 per cent are in home isolation, 684 or eight per cent patients are at Isolation Centres, and 553 or six per cent are under treatment in different hospitals.
Similarly, 61 patients recovered and were discharged on Sunday, taking the number of patients cured so far to 2,081 or 18.1 per cent of the total patients.
However, out of the 9,210 active cases, 99 patients are in critical condition, 26 of whom have been put on ventilators. “My prayers and doctors’ efforts are with them to recover at the earliest,” said the Sindh CM.
He said nine more patients lost their lives while fighting against the virus and the number of deaths had reached 189 which was 1.6 per cent of the total patients.
Disclosing area wise data on the virus’ spread in the province, Shah told that 448 of the 709 new coronavirus cases had been detected from the port city of Karachi, 152 cases had been detected from district Malir, 145 from South, 87 from Central, 81 from East, 54 from West and 29 from Korangi.
Regarding other districts, he said that 29 cases had been detected from Hyderabad, 19 from Jacobabad, 16 from Shikarpur, 12 Ghotki, six from Sukkur, five from Larkana, four from Shaheed Benazirabad, three each from Jamshoro and Khairpur, and two from Tando Allahyar.
He said that the number of cases was increasing since random testing of grocery shops and vegetable vendors had started.
“I would advise people to avoid going to shops without masks and observing social distancing when they do step out,” he urged.
The chief minister said that as far as the population of the provinces was concerned, Sindh was conducting the highest number of tests per day per capita even if it was only testing suspects so far.
The Sindh CM concluded by giving his assurance that all quarantined suspects were being tested. “Our quarantine facilities, having a capacity of more than 14,000 rooms, are success stories of Sindh. We also have the highest number of cases under critical care-services which are being utilised as cases are rising,” he said.
