Internews/Karachi/Peshawar
Pakistan’s port city once again led in terms of the number of coronavirus cases in Sindh, recording 269 of the province’s 341 new patients over the past 24 hours, with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah saying that social distancing was not being observed in the economic hub’s slums despite serious efforts.
The coronavirus causes the Covid-19 respiratory disease.
Shah said that the number of cases was increasing rising day by day as social distancing was not being practised in the katchi abadis, or informal settlements, despite efforts by officials and authorities.
Slums are highly-populated areas of the metropolis, with closely-knit communities and people often living in cramped spaces with inadequate facilities.
Of the 269 new cases, 90 were in the East district, 50 in South, 40 in Korangi, 39 in West, 30 in Malir, and 20 in Central.
On Sunday Karachi reported 301 of the province’s 383 new cases.
Over the past 24 hours, Sindh has carried out 2,733 tests, of which 341 were diagnosed as positive, translating into a rate of 12.6%, the chief minister said.
To date, the provincial health department has conducted 43,949 tests, of which 4,956 (11.2%) have tested positive, he added.
Shah said that four more patients lost their lives, bumping up Sindh’s death toll from the novel coronavirus to 85, or 1.7%, of the total patients.
However, 24 patients’ condition was critical and another 16 were on ventilators.
With regard to those under treatment, the chief minister said that 2,705 were in self-isolation, 825 at isolation centres, and 416 in various different hospitals.
Across the province, on the other hand, 23 cases were reported in Khairpur, 12 each in Larkana and Hyderabad, eight in Ghotki, four in Sukkur, three in Dadu, two in Matiari, and one each in Jacobabad and Umerkot.
Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail is currently in self-isolation after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Before he went into self-isolation, the governor had 10 very busy days during which he met a host of people and attended important meetings.
According to information released by Governor House, Ismail held separate meetings with delegations of the Jewelers and Manufacturers Association and the Beauty Parlour Association on April 24.
The beauticians’ delegation comprised Sabah Ansari, Nadia Hussain, and NG Marshall.
On the same day, the governor attended an informal ceremony at a field isolation centre to donate 3,000 items of protective gear.
Two days before, on April 22, Ismail spent a busy day in Hyderabad and Jamshoro along with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leaders Haleem Adil Sheikh, Jamal Siddiqui, Sidra Imran, and Bilal Ghafaz, where they were briefed by Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Fawad Soomro and the Ehsaas Programme director-general.
On the same day, the Sindh governor visited an Ehsaas Centre at a girls college in Kotri, where he was given a briefing at the office of the Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner.
He also attended a function in his honour in Matiari.
On April 21, Ismail met Karachi traders regarding their concerns on the resumption of businesses, and later the same day, a 25-member delegation of well-known industrialists called on him at Governor House.
A day earlier on April 20, the governor met a delegation of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Sindh and later visited Faizan Madina, a religious school in city’s old Sabzi Mandi area.
On the same day, Ismail also participated in a Prime Minister Office meeting with muftis Taqi Usmani, Muneeb-ur-Rehman and Allama Shehenshah Hussain Naqvi via video.
On April 16, the governor met with delegations of the Karachi electronic market and other traders.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become the first province to record more than 100 confirmed deaths of Covid-19 patients, with six new fatalities.
The province now has 104 deaths due to Covid-19.
Of the fresh deaths, four belonged to Peshawar and one each to Malakand and Bajaur districts, said a daily situation report released by the health department.
The report said that the number of confirmed patients in the province rose to 1,984, with 120 new cases during the last 24 hours.
Peshawar, which has 5.25% case fatality rate (CFR) in the province, accounted for 56 deaths due to coronavirus.
In Swat, 12 persons have died so far due to the virus.
Malakand has recorded three deaths so far while Bajaur tribal district has recorded the first casualty of the pandemic.
The province’s CFR from the epidemic now stands at 5.4%, the highest by any province in the country.
The nationwide CFR is 2.11%.
Peshawar has 8.93% CFR, the highest by any district in the country.
Except Kohistan Lower and Kolai Palas, all the districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have become endemic for Covid-19, with Peshawar leading with 627 cases, followed by Swat with 157 cases, Mardan 136, Buner 102, Dir Upper 79, Mansehra 75, Malakand 69, Kohat 58, Abbottabad 50, and Nowshera and Charsadda each with 49 cases.
According to the report, 18 patients have recovered from Covid-19 during the last 24 hours, taking count to 533 so far in the province.
It said that 760 active patients were quarantined and 455 were admitted to various hospitals of the province, among them 405 in stable condition and 40 were critical, including 10 on ventilator.
