Sindh records most deaths as single-day Covid fatalities hit 105

Pakistan's positivity ratio at 7.2 per cent; fatality rate at 2.02 per cent, against 2.22 per cent globally

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Wednesday reported 105 Covid-19 related deaths, the highest it has seen since June. The deaths took the country's death toll to 9,010.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the most deaths were reported in Sindh, followed by Punjab. The NCOC added that 70 Covid-19 patients died on the ventilator.

The highest number of ventilators occupied in the country was found to be in Multan with 48 per cent occupancy, followed by Islamabad at 46 per cent, Lahore 34 per cent and Peshawar 26 per cent.

Meanwhile, the highest number of oxygen bed occupancy in the country was in Peshawar, at 64 per cent, Rawalpindi 42 per cent, Multan 41 per cent and Islamabad 37 per cent.

Positivity ratio

The centre reported 2,731 new cases as the total number of cases jumped to 445,977. At least 388,598 patients have recovered from the deadly disease.

Furthermore, the NCOC reported that the current positivity ratio in the country was 7.2 per cent, with the highest observed in Karachi at 18.76 per cent, followed by Hyderabad at 16.56 per cent and Peshawar at 15.99 per cent.

Moreover, the national fatality rate is 2.02 per cent, against 2.22 per cent globally.

The NCOC reported that of the 2.2 per cent fatality rate in the country, 70% of males and 77.5% people over the age of 50 years succumbed to the virus; 73% have chronic comorbidities and 91% of the deceased remained hospitalised. In addition, 58 per cent of the hospitalised patients remained on the ventilator before succumbing to the virus.

A day earlier, the NCOC was informed that the current positivity ratio in the country is around 7.12 per cent, with the highest recorded in Hyderabad at 22.45 per cent.

After Hyderabad, Karachi reported the second-highest positivity ratio of 19.89pc, followed by Peshawar at 19.04pc.

Earlier this month, the country's nerve centre for Covid-19 response had reported the positivity ratio at around 9.71pc, the highest in months.

Pakistan is also on the threshold of becoming the first country to carry out research, mandatory to introduce intravenous immunoglobulin (C-IVIG) therapy at a mass level as ‘severe’ patients under treatment for coronavirus, have 100% recovery rate.

Scientists at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, who are conducting clinical trials of the C-IVIG therapy for the treatment coronavirus, have said that the trials were very encouraging and remarkable.

The C-IVIG therapy uses immunoglobulin (IG), a blood product extracted from the plasma of people who have recovered from infection, and which is rich in the antibodies that target the virus. Continuous infusion of immunoglobin can neutralise the infection in patients and shorten the course of the disease.

The DUHS trials started in June on 30 participants.