Seven more lose battle for life as 371 new corona cases surface in Karachi

Seven more people, including a doctor, diagnosed with the COVID-19 lost their lives in the last 24 hours in Karachi, said Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday.

He said 417 new cases of the novel coronavirus emerged in Sindh, including 371 in Karachi, in a day. “Seven people have died due to the coronavirus in Karachi. All deceased were males, aged 65, 64, 75, 52, 57, 43 and 79 years,” the chief minister said.

“As many as 371 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 in Karachi during the last 24 hours,” Murad said in his daily message on Monday.

The chief minister said the COVID-19 situation was alarming in the province as “we have detected 417 cases when conducted 2,571 tests, which constitutes 16.2 per cent of the tests”.

“The government has tested 66,623 samples so far and diagnosed 7,882 cases which are 11.83 per cent,” he said. “The coronavirus has so far claimed 137 lives in Sindh. The death ratio has been recorded at 1.7 per cent of the total patients,” he added.

At present, he said, 6,116 patients were under treatment. Out of them, he added, 4,994 patients had been kept in home isolation, 615 in isolation centres and 507 in different hospitals.

The chief minister said 79 patients were in critical condition and of them, 16 were on ventilators. “This shows that 16 per cent of the patients are on ventilators,” he said.

Giving district-wise breakdown of Karachi, the chief minister said out of 357 new cases in Karachi, 123 were diagnosed in Malir, 91 in south, 51 in central, 44 is east and 30 west districts.

Talking about the province’s other districts, Murad said 20 new cases emerged in Ghotki, eight in Hyderabad, three in Jacobabad and one each in Naushahro Feroze and Sujawal. The chief minister urged the people to observe social distancing and follow the SOPs issued by the government.