June kicks off with 22 COVID-19 deaths, 1,402 fresh cases in Sindh

By Our Correspondent
June 02, 2020

June has begun with 22 more deaths due to COVID-19 and another 1,402 cases during the past 24 hours in Sindh, with the death toll due to the viral disease in the province crossing the 500 mark.

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“This is an alarming situation and a sad start to a new month,” Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in his daily situation report on the health emergency on Monday. The chief executive said that with 22 more patients losing their lives due to the novel coronavirus infection, the death toll in the province has reached 503, while another 1,402 people testing positive has increased the number of cases to 29,647.

He said that 6,289 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, resulting in 1,402 people being diagnosed with COVID-19, which meant that 22.3 per cent of those screened were found to be infected. The provincial government has so far conducted 187,092 tests, he added.

The CM said that after the latest deaths, the percentage of the diagnosed people who have lost their fight with COVID-19 stands at 1.7 per cent. He added that 342 patients are in critical condition, of whom 71 are on life support.

He said that 14,554 patients are currently under treatment: 13,346 in self-isolation at home, 113 at isolation centres and 1,095 at hospitals. He added that 785 people have recovered during the past 24 hours, increasing the number of cured patients to 14,590, which shows a 49.2 per cent recovery rate.

Shah said that out of the 1,402 fresh cases of Sindh, 1,028 belonged to Karachi Division alone: 292 of the new patients belong to District Korangi, 232 to District East, 193 to District South, 165 to District Central, 101 to District West and 45 to District Malir.

He added that Ghotki and Sukkur have 46 new cases each, Larkana 38, Hyderabad 25, Mirpurkhas 21, Shikarpur 20, Jacobabad 12, Khairpur and Jamshoro eight each, Badin and Sujawal four each, Thatta, Dadu and Naushehroferoze two each, and Umerkot, Shaheed Benazirabad and Kashmore-Kandhkot one each.

He especially warned the people of Sukkur, Larkana and Ghotki to comply with the standard operating procedures issued by the government because the cases of local transmission are on the rise in their areas.

Crash update

The chief minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, said that out of the 97 bodies of the victims of the May 22 plane crash in Model Colony, 87 have been handed over to the heirs of the deceased.

He said that four bodies are still in the Chhipa mortuary and six in the Edhi morgue. He added that 48 bodies were identified through DNA and one sample was yet to be matched.

WHO support

World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative for Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala called on Shah to discuss the novel coronavirus situation in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh.

The CM said the province has increased its testing capacity from 200 to 6,600 a day. He added that two hospitals with a capacity of 250 beds are being set up in Karachi to deal with the disease and similar facilities will be established in other divisional headquarters of the province.

The WHO representative appreciated the efforts of the Sindh government for containing the virus and slowing its spread. He urged the CM to take strict measures to force the people to adopt all the precautionary measures.

Shah thanked Dr Mahipala for supporting and guiding his government in the fight against the novel coronavirus infection. He urged the WHO representative to hold training programmes for the doctors, nurses and paramedics dealing with COVID-19 cases.

Dr Mahipala assured the CM that his organisation will support the Sindh government in all aspects, including training. The meeting was also attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, the WHO’s Dr Sara Khan and the CM’s Principal Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro.

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