11 more coronavirus patients die in Sindh

As many as 11 more people died due to the coronavirus in the province, including nine in Karachi, while 307 more people tested positive in Sindh, including 253 in Karachi, during the last 24 hours, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Tuesday.

“At least 11 people have lost their lives due to complications of COVID-19 in Sindh during the last 24 hours. Of them, nine died at various public and private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, while a few also lost their lives in self-isolation,” he said.

One patient each died in Hyderabad and Sanghar, the CM said, adding that with 11 new deaths, the death toll in Sindh had reached 148. Of these, 132 people have died in Karachi, five in Sukkur, one each in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Ghotki, Larkana and Matiari.

He maintained that 307 new COVID-19 cases had been detected during the last 24 hours after 2,250 tests were conducted, and 253 people tested positive in Karachi alone. The health department had conducted 68,873 tests so far against which 8,189 positive cases had been diagnosed, he said.

Shah said 42 more patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals. A total of 1,670 patients had recovered so far, which constitutes a 20.5 per cent recovery rate.

According to the chief minister, 6,370 patients are under treatment, of them 5,139 are in home isolation, 736 at isolation centers and 495 at different hospitals. He added that 82 patients were in critical condition, including 13 who had been put on ventilators.

Out of 307 new coronavirus cases, 237 belonged to Karachi, of them 70 were reported in Central, 45 East, 21 Korangi, 55 Malir, 34 South and 12 in District West.

The chief minister said 21 new cases had emerged in Khairpur, 12 in Kashmore-Kandhkot, eight in Larkana, five in Hyderabad, three in Sukkur and one each in Badin, Sanghar and Shaheed Benazirabad.

He urged the people of Sindh to follow the SOPs; otherwise local spread of the virus could not be controlled. Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho deplored that some of the serious COVID-19 patients were not visiting hospitals when their condition started deteriorating, and urged them not to conceal their disease and approach a specialised health facility for treatment.

“COVID-19 patients with other diseases like asthma, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease should immediately approach the health facility after they test positive for the coronavirus. Delaying their visit to any specialised health facility can endanger patients’ lives,” she said in her message.

The health minister maintained that the Ojha Campus of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Indus Hospital Karachi, Civil Hospital Karachi, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), Aga Khan and Trauma Centre were treating COVID-19 patients.

Dispelling the impression that beds were not available for the COVID-19 patients, she claimed that at the moment, more beds in the isolation wards and ventilators were available at various hospitals in the city as compared to the number of patients.