Death toll hits 2,535 as four more die of Covid-19 in Sindh

Four more patients of the novel coronavirus died overnight in Sindh, taking the death toll to 2,535. In his daily Covid-19 situation report, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that with four more deaths, the mortality rate stood 1.8 per cent.

He added that 282 patients recovered overnight, and the number of recovered patients reached 132,113, which came to a 95 per cent recovery rate. Shah said 9,094 samples were tested and 304 new cases emerged, which constituted a 3.3 per cent detection rate.

So far, he said, 1,435,330 tests had been conducted and 139,195 people had been diagnosed with the disease, showing a 10 per cent overall detection rate. According to the chief minister, currently 4,477 patients are under treatment. Of them 4,203 are in home isolation, six at isolation centres and 268 at different hospitals. The condition of 189 patients is stated to be critical, including 21 put on ventilators.

The chief minister said that out of the 304 new cases, 198 were reported from Karachi: 68 from District East, 65 from District South, 23 from District Korangi, 22 from District Central, 16 in District Malir and four in District West.

He added that Ghotki saw 18 new cases, Hyderabad 17, Jamshoro 10, Badin three, Dadu, Naushehroferoze and Tando Allahyar two each, Mirpurkhas eight, Matiari six, Shaheed Benazirabad five, and Thatta and Umerkot one each.

The chief minister urged the people of Sindh to understand the situation and observe the standard operating procedures.

Violations of SOPs

A day earlier, 28 restaurants, 23 markets and shops, and four schools had been sealed across Karachi over non-compliance with the SOPs devised by the government to stop local transmission of the novel coronavirus.

The figures relating to the action taken on Monday that were released by the office of the city commissioner showed that 14 restaurants were sealed in District Central, seven in District East, six in District South and one in District Malir. Three other restaurants were fined, while another 40 were issued with warnings.