Karachi’s Covid positivity rate skyrockets to 40%

Omicron sets off alarm bells as country’s new virus cases cross 4,000 for 2nd day in a row

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI:

Karachi is witnessing an alarming surge in coronavirus cases during the fifth Covid-19 wave fuelled by the Omicron variant with positivity rate reaching nearly 40% in the metropolis during the last 24 hours.

Out of 15,172 people, 2,677 tested positive for Covid-19 in Sindh in the past 24 hours -- 2,424 of them from Karachi, according to the latest figures issued by the CM’s House on Sunday. Of the reported cases, 229 patients are in critical condition while 18 patients are undergoing treatment on ventilator.

The city’s positivity rate has increased by 4% in a single day. The Sindh Health Department said the Omicron variant was confirmed in 460 people in Karachi after genome sequencing. It added that genome sequencing of 56 suspected cases was in progress. Health experts said 95% of the cases reported daily were of the Omicron variant.

They also warned that the fifth wave of coronavirus would reach its peak by the middle of February.
The provincial health department has decided to conduct random coronavirus testing of students across all schools of the province. It also issued directives to district health officers for this purpose through a notification.

The notification stated that 100 samples would be collected from schools in each district of the province and sent to Dow Hospital laboratory to check the disease prevalence. Based on the results, the provincial government will make the final decision on the closure of educational institutions.

Also read: Omicron spread sets off alarm bells

Separately, 4,027 cases were reported across the country in the last 24 hours. This was the second day in a row that Covid-19 cases in the country exceeded 4,000. According to the National Command and Operation Centre, 51,236 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours while nine more deaths were also recorded. The total number of cases has risen to 1,324,147 and the death toll is 29,012, while the positivity is 7.8%.

Besides, the country reported 579 coronavirus recoveries during the last 24 hours, according to the government's website for tracking the spread of the disease in the country. The total number has risen to 1,263,584 and the recovery rate is 95.4%.

The new cases pushed the tally of cases in Sindh to 500,955. According to Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, 119 patients recovered overnight, lifting the tally to 472,125. So far 7,697 patients have succumbed to the deadly virus in the province. Punjab has reported new 853 cases and one death in the past 24 hours, followed by 366 and one death in Islamabad.

At least 112 people contracted Covid-19 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the past 24 hours, taking the total of confirmed cases in the province to 182,311. Health authorities said two people died due to the fatal disease, with the toll rising to 5,960.

They further said that 20 patients recovered from the deadly virus in K-P overnight, pushing the recoveries to 175,432. Balochistan has reported at least six new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 33,705. The health department said in a daily update that Covid-19 death toll remained unchanged at 367 as no new fatalities were recorded in the province.

As many as 33,277 patients have recovered from the disease so far, it added. Eleven new cases have been detected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and six new cases and one death in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The government is expected to impose new restrictions to deal with rising coronavirus cases.

To counter the growing threat, the NCOC has convened a meeting of the provincial education and health ministers on Monday (today). The meeting is expected to propose a new set of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), focusing on the education sector, public gatherings, weddings, indoor and outdoor dining, and the transport sector.

The NCOC has also decided to coordinate extensively with the provinces, especially Sindh, to take all necessary measures to counter the fifth wave. The forum has also directed all quarters to intensify the ongoing vaccination campaign and to enhance efforts to achieve the targets.