KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the coronavirus has hit new highs by claiming 74 more lives during the last 24 hours, lifting the death toll to 1,343 while 1,539 new cases were also reported during the period under review.
In a statement issued here from the CM House on Monday, Murad Shah said that 74 more patients died overnight. “These are the highest one-day casualty figures reported so far since the first death from COVID-19 came to light on March 19,” he said, and added that he was saddened to disclose the death rate had increased from 1.5 percent to 1.6 percent. He, on the occasion, expressed condolences with the bereaved families.
The CM said that 8,464 samples were tested which led to the detection of 1,539 new cases of corona that showed 19.6 percent detection rate. “The provincial government has conducted 443757 tests so far which have helped identify 81,985 cases,” Sindh CM said, and added, “Of these patients, 45,616 have recovered, including 1,093 those who recovered overnight. The recovery rate now stands at 55.6 percent which is quite encouraging.”
According to CM, currently there are 35,026 patients under treatment, of whom 33,482 are in home isolation, 88 are at isolation centers and 1,456 at different hospitals.
Murad said that currently 660 patients were in a critical condition, of whom 92 had been shifted onto the ventilators.
Giving district-wise break-up of the cases, the chief minister said that out of 1,539 new cases, Karachi had 689. “District East has 252 cases, South 175, Central 107, Malir 62, West 49 and Korangi 44,” he elaborated.
He further said that Hyderabad had 93 new cases, Ghotki 76, Sukkur 74, Mirpurkhas 34, Khairpur 34,Tando Allahayar 32, Sanghar 23, Shaheed Benazirabad 23, Jacobabad 28, Larkana 22, Kambar 19, Shikarpur 19, Dadu 13, Umerkot 12, Badin and Naushehroferoze nine cases each, Sujawal six, Tando M. Khan five, Thatta four, while Kashmore and Matiari have one case each.
The chief minister urged people to abide by the SOPs so that the pandemic could be contained.