Two dead, 20 hospitalised as 528 more contract Covid in city

By Our Correspondent
July 03, 2022

An increase in the screening for Covid-19 shows that Karachi continues to be the most affected city. On Saturday two people died and 20 others were admitted to different hospitals because of the infectious disease, according to officials.

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They said that 528 more people tested positive for Covid after 3,095 tests were carried out over the past 24 hours, showing the city’s rate of positivity to be 17.06 per cent.

Coronavirus cases witnessed a sharp increase across the country after more than 800 infections were registered in the past 24 hours, up from 694 a day earlier, according to official statistics.

The data shows that one person lost his life in Lahore due to complications resulting from a Covid infection, while the rate of positivity there jumped to 5.58 per cent after 1,973 tests were conducted.

Islamabad is the country’s third most affected city, where 52 more people have tested positive for Covid over the past 24 hours, with the rate of positivity being 4.05 per cent based on 1,283 tests that were carried out there, said the officials.

This is the first time in nearly four months that the number of infections have gone beyond 800. The country had recorded 796 cases on March 4, but there had been a gradual decline since then. Infection cases started rising again in late June.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) shows in its latest data that 18,305 Covid diagnostic tests were conducted across Pakistan, resulting in 818 positive cases, raising the rate of positivity to 4.47 per cent from 3.93 per cent a day earlier.

According to the NIH, the condition of 126 Covid patients is critical, and they are being treated in intensive care units at different medical facilities.

Sindh’s Covid-19 task force, which met a day earlier to discuss the situation with Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, has warned of taking “tough measures” if the situation continues to worsen in the province, especially in Karachi.

The CM said that if coronavirus cases continue to increase, the government might have to take drastic measures again. It was, however, noted that the hospital admission rate was still low. “Karachi has the highest number of weekly cases,” said Shah.

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