Karachi sees worst day in fight against corona as 12 more perish

Karachi witnessed the worst day with respect to the coronavirus deaths on Thursday when 12 people, including three women, infected with COVID-19 passed away at public and private hospitals as well as at homes during voluntary isolation.

“As many as 12 patients have lost their lives during the last 24 hours in Karachi due to the coronavirus infection, which shows the gravity of the situation. As many as 358 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Sindh, including 299 in Karachi alone. The situation in Karachi is getting out of control with each passing day,” said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday.

Of the 12 patients who lost their lives in Karachi during the last 24 hours, three died at the Indus Hospital Karachi, three in home isolation, one each at the PNS Shifa and the Aga Khan University Hospital, while the remaining four patients succumbed to the complications of the COVID-19 at the Ojha Campus of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).

They include three women aged 60, 55 and 75; and nine men aged 74, 38, 42, 48, 62, 51, 70, 74 and 76, the health department said and added that the number of men who lost their lives was two times higher compared to women.

Since March 19 when the first person died due to COVID-19 in Sindh, the chief minister said this was the worst day during the coronavirus emergency when such a large number of people died.

“We have 112 deaths in 34 days, which means that three patients died every day due to the coronavirus right from the first death on March 19. This is quite worrisome situation.”

Murad said 2,587 tests were conducted against which 358 new cases emerged on Thursday. The number of coronavirus positive cases has reached to 6,053 which is 11.1 per cent of the total tests, as 54,377 tests have been conducted so far.

The chief minister added that with more 12 patients losing their lives, the death toll had risen to 112 which constituted 1.8 per cent of the total patients. “At present, 47 patients are in critical condition, including 17 on ventilator,” he said and prayed for their early recovery.

Talking about 4,721 under treatment patients, Murad said 3,473 of them were in home isolation, 741 at isolation centres and 505 in different hospitals. “Doctors are looking after those who are in home isolation through phone,” he said.

The CM said out of 358 new cases in the province, 299 belonged to Karachi. The city’s south district has the highest number of 72, the east district has 62, the west district has 58, Korangi has 32 and Malir has 15.

The chief minister said the areas of the city’s south district badly affected by the coronavirus included Bihar Colony with 24 cases, Allama Iqbal colony with 14 cases, Agra Taj colony with 11, Chakiwara area with eight cases, Gazdarabad area with 31 cases, Khada Memon Society with three cases, Nanakwara area with 15 cases, Civil Lines area with 12 cases, Karachi Cantonment area 14 cases, Clifton area 30 cases, while CCB-1 had 13 cases, CCB-2 had 10, CCB-3 had 50 and CCB-4 had 11. Other districts

Shikarpur has 34 new cases, Dadu six, Hyderabad five, Sanghar four, Sukkur three, Jacobabad two, Thatta, Jamshoro, Matiari and Naushehroferoze has one each.

Giving frequency by the age of death, the chief minister said 43 were between 60 to 69 years of age, 27 were 70 plus, 26 between 50 to 59 and nine were between 40 to 49 years of age. He added that 73 per cent patients who died due to the coronavirus were male victims.

The chief minister said the virus had spread all over Sindh and now the worst affected districts of the local spread was Shikarpur where 34 new cases had been detected. He urged the people to be vigilant and adopt all SOPs.