Karachi          -     Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the coronavirus has claimed 26 more lives and infected 546 others in the province during the last 24 hours. In a statement issued here from the CM House on Monday, hesaid that with 26 more deaths, the death toll had reached 2019 that constituted 1.8 per cent death rate.

He added that overnight 897 patients recovered. “The number of patients recovering from the virus so far has now reached 92,934 that constitute 81 per cent of the total number of patients,” recovery rate, the CM said.

He said that 546 new cases of coronavirus emerged when 7069 samples were tested which constituted eight per cent current detection rate. He added that so far 649,917 samples have been tested against which 113,553 cases have been diagnosed that came to 17 per cent overall detection rate. 

According to CM, currently 18,600 patients are under treatment, including 17,824 in home isolation, 64 at isolation centers and 712 in different hospitals. He added that the condition of 535 patients was stated to be critical, including 75 have been shifted to ventilators. 

He said that out of 546 new cases, 179 belonged to Karachi. They include 50 in South, 38 each in East and Korangi, 27 Central, 19 Malir and seven West. He added that Khairpur has 29 cases, Ghotki 21, Sukkur 18, Tando Muhammad Khan 17, Sujawal and Jamshoro 15 each, Larkana and Jacobabad 13 each, Naushehroferoze 11, Umerkot and Matiari nine each, Dadu and Thatta four each, Sanghar three and Shaheed Benazirabad and Badin one each.

Murad Ali Shah urged people of the province to observe SOPs, wash hands frequently, wear masks while going out and ensure social distancing.