Sindh’s Covid-19 death toll sees sharp rise as 32 more patients die

Thirty-two more people have died due to Covid-19 and 890 others have tested positive for the disease during the past 24 hours in Sindh, with the death toll due to the viral coronavirus infection reaching 3,957 in the province.

The latest figures show that Sindh’s Covid-19 death toll has seen an increase of 700 per cent over the past 72 hours: four patients were reported dead on January 24, eight on January 25, 25 on January 26 and 32 on January 27.

Officials say that most of the deaths have been occurring in Karachi, where not only are the weather conditions conducive to the spread of the virus but the careless attitude of the people is also contributing to the rising number of infections and deaths.

Islamabad’s Health Services Academy and epidemiologists blame the cold weather with suitable humidity ranging between 45 and 60 per cent along with super-spreading events for the coronavirus spread in Karachi and the adjoining Hyderabad, where the positivity rate is the highest in Pakistan.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in his daily situation report on the health emergency on Wednesday that 10,954 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, resulting in 890 people, or 8.13 per cent of those who were screened, being diagnosed with Covid-19.

The provincial government has so far conducted 2,675,845 tests, which have resulted in 243,682 positive cases, which means that 9.11 per cent of those screened have been found to be infected, he added.

Shah said that after the latest deaths, the rate of the diagnosed people who have lost their fight with Covid-19 stands at 1.62 per cent in Sindh. He said that 17,688 patients across the province are currently infected: 16,796 are in self-isolation at home, 12 at isolation centres and 880 at hospitals, while 800 patients are in critical condition, of whom 88 are on life support.

He added that 1,030 more people have recovered during the past 24 hours, increasing the number of cured patients to 222,037, which shows the recovery rate to be 91 per cent.

The CM said that out of the 890 fresh cases of Sindh, 601 (or 68 per cent) have been reported in Karachi Division alone: 202 of the city’s new patients are from District East, 125 from District Korangi, 101 from District Central, 81 from District South, 64 from District Malir and 28 from District West.

As for the other districts of the province, Mirpurkhas has reported 31 new cases, Hyderabad 29, Kambar 27, Matiari 23, Badin 21, Dadu 20, Jacobabad 18, Sanghar 15, ShaheedBenazirabad 13, Tando Muhammad Khan 12, Larkana, Umerkot, Naushehroferoze, Tando Allahyar and Ghotki nine each, Khairpur five, Sukkur three and Thatta one, he added.

The chief executive urged the people of Sindh to comply with the standard operating procedures and take all the precautionary measures, warning that the burden on healthcare facilities is constantly on the rise.