1,475 fresh virus cases reported in Sindh

CM Murad claims province has highest recovery rate in the country

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah stated that 1,475 new coronavirus cases had been detected in Sindh on Saturday, taking the provincial tally to 36,364 cases to date. Meanwhile, 19 more patients have lost their lives to the deadly contagion.

In a statement, Shah informed that 7,030 samples had been tested for the virus in Sindh over the previous 24 hours, of which 20.9 per cent turned out to be positive, whereas 16.3 per cent of the 222,890 samples screened to date had been positive for the contagious disease overall.

The Sindh CM further stated that 19 more people lost their lives due to coronavirus, pushing the death toll to 634 in the province, with a mortality rate of 1.7 per cent.

"At present, 388 patients are in critical condition and 58 of them have already been put on the ventilators," he said, praying for their speedy recovery.

Shah apprised that currently, 17,465 patients were under treatment. Of these, 16,138 were in home isolation, 61 quarantined at isolation centres and 1,266 were being treated at different hospitals.

Meanwhile, the chief minister mentioned that 554 more patients had regained health, adding that a total of 18,265 patients had recovered in Sindh so far, which was 50.3 per cent of the infected population. This recovery rate, he claimed, was the highest among all provinces in the country.



"The Sindh government has tasked around 500 doctors across the province to stay in touch with patients quarantined at their residences and provide them treatment through telemedicine," he said, adding that in case of any emergency, they must be shifted to health facilities.

Moreover, the CM shared that as many as 990 new cases had been diagnosed in Karachi alone. Presenting the district-wise break-up, he said 366 cases were reported in East district, 223 in Central, 176 in South, 87 in Malir, 48 in West, and nine were reported in Korangi district.

Further, he shared that 97 people tested positive for the virus in Ghotki, 64 in Larkana, 59 in Hyderabad, 56 in Sukkur, 26 in Jacobabad, 19 in Dadu, 13 in Shikarpur, 10 in Khairpur, seven in Mirpurkhas, six in Sanghar, three in Shaheed Benazirabad, two in Thatta, and one each in Umerkot, Badin, Jamshoro, Qambar-Shahdadkot and Kashmore.

Calling for caution

Meanwhile, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab stated that on Friday, 198 Covid-19 patients were admitted in intensive care units (ICUs) and 149 to high dependency units (HDUs).

He explained that patients experiencing difficulty in breathing were admitted to the HDUs, adding that the number of patients being shifted to hospitals and ICUs, and those requiring ventilators had been on the rise since the relaxation in the lockdown two weeks ago.

“Sharing these statistics and the increasing number of cases with citizens is not aimed at terrifying you but to create a sense of responsibility so that together we can save the country and its people from this pandemic,” he said, calling for increased caution. “Those who talk about reopening trade and transport and moving outside freely should realise that the tally has escalated after easing the lockdown. Anyone can be infected with the virus.”