KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah said that 12 more patients of coronavirus died lifting the death toll to 2,679 and 620 new cases emerged while 9,995 tests were conducted. 

This he said in a statement issued from CM House on Saturday.  He added that 12 more patients of COVID-19 lost their lives while struggling against the virus that constituted 1.8 percent death rate. 

Shah said that 9,995 samples were tested against which 620 new cases were diagnosed that constituted 6.2 percent current detection rate. 

He added that so far 1,713,813 tests had been conducted which detected 149,542 cases, of the 95 percent or 140,408 patients had recovered, including 175 overnight.  The CM said currently 6,455 patients were under treatment, of them 6,178 were in home isolation, four at isolation centres and 273 at different hospitals. 

He added that the condition of 223 patients was stated to be critical, including 26 shifted to ventilators. 

According to the statement, out of 620 new cases, 504 have been detected from Karachi, including 168 from South, 157 from East, 95 from Central, 31 from Malir, 30 from Korangi and 23 from West. 

Hyderabad has 47 cases, Sanghar 19, Shaheed Benazirabad and Thatta six each, Sukkur five, Larkana four, Mirpurkhas and Tando Mohammad Khan two each, Badin, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Matiari, Shikarpur and Umerkot one each. The CM said his government had issued necessary guidelines and urged people to follow them.