Second doctor falls prey to coronavirus within a week

An elderly doctor is among three patients who have died from the novel coronavirus, while new 293 cases have surfaced in Sindh.

Dr Shagufta Asif, a retired doctor, had been on life support at a private hospital in Karachi for the last few days after contracting the coronavirus infection. She passed away on Wednesday morning, her husband Dr Asif Mirza announced on social media.

With her demise, the death toll from Covid-19 among healthcare workers has reached 90 in the country, including 36 in Sindh – 22 of them were doctors in the province. Earlier, in the late hours of Friday, a senior medical professor and former head of the ENT department of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Dr Muhammad Usman, passed away due to complications arising from Covid-19.

He breathed his last at a private hospital, officials said, adding that he was the first doctor associated with the JPMC and Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) who died of the coronavirus infection.

“Dr Muhammad Usman, a very senior health professional and respected doctor who recently got retired from JPMC, passed away due to Covid-19. He was a former head of JPMC’s ENT department and known for his competence and integrity,” said Dr Seemin Jamali, the JPMC executive director, as she spoke to The News on Saturday. The funeral prayers for the late professor was offered at the JPMC.

Daily report

The coronavirus death toll in Sindh has hit 2,590, according to the Sindh chief minister. Syed Murad Ali Shah said 7,843 tests were conducted in a day. With the new 293 positive cases emerging in the province, he said the total number of cases stood at 142,641. So far, he added, 1,555,574 tests had been conducted in Sindh.

The chief minister said of the total 142,641 coronavirus patients, 95 per cent or 135,759 had defeated the virus, including 265 who recovered yesterday. According to him, 4,292 patients are currently under treatment: 4,029 in home isolation, four at isolation centres and 259 at hospitals.

Of the new 293 cases, 164 are from Karachi: 51 from District South, 38 from

District East, 25 from Malir, 23 from Korangi, 19 from District Central and eight from District West.

Shikarpur has reported 20 cases, Hyderabad 18, Khairpur, Matiari and Naushehroferoze seven each, Sukkur six, Shaheed Benazirabad, Thatta and Dadu five each, Ghotki, Kambar and Larkana four each, Mirpurkhas two, and Sujawal, Tando Mohammad Khan and Jasmhoro one each.