KARACHI (Staff Reporter): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a Task Force meeting on Coronavirus here at CM House on Monday observed that during the last seven days the virus has hit new highs in Karachi East where detection rate has reached 22 percent, Hyderabad 19 percent, South 13 percent and Central 10 percent, therefore he directed the administration to take strict measures to implement the SOPs announced by the government.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Saeed Ghani, Jam Ikram Dharejo, Nasir Shah, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Parliamentary Secretary Qasim Siraj Soomro, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, IG Sindh Mushtaq Maher, ACS Home Usman Chachar, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Commissioner Karachi Naveed shaikh, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Secretary School Education Ahmed Bux Narejo, Secretary Health Kazim Jatoi, Dr Bari, Dr Faisal, VC NED Dr Saeed Qureshi, representatives of Corps 5, Rangers, and WHO.
Sharing district-wise weekly data, from April 26 to May 2, of positive cases, it was disclosed that the 5,609 samples were tested in Karachi-East which detected 1,257 cases that constituted a 22 percent detection rate. In Hyderabad 1,336 cases were detected against 6,962 tests that came to 19 percent. Karachi South showed 13 percent positive cases where 732 cases were detected against 5842 tests. In Karachi Central 4255 tests were conducted which diagnosed 414 cases that constituted 10 percent. Similarly, Korangi has seven percent, Malir, Sukkur and Khairpur have six percent each, Karachi-West, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehroferoze, Matiari have Larkana five percent cases.
The chief minister directed provincial ministers, Saeed Ghani, Jam Ikram Dharejo, Nasir Shah and Advisor Murtaza Wahab to keep visiting the badly affected districts to ensure implementation of SOPs in true spirit. “The district administration and the police must take coercive action against the business units defying government orders in respect of working hours and enforcement of SOPs,” he said.
It was pointed out that the last 15 days (April 19 to May 3) comparative analyses showed that death rate per million in Sindh was recorded at two, 11 in AJK, one Balochistan, three Gilgit Baltistan, 25 Islamabad, 14 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 10 Punjab 10. Similarly, 420 cases per million were detected in AJK, 136 in Balochistan, 97 Gilgit Baltistan, 3,065 Islamabad, 382 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 333 Punjab and 269 in Sindh.
The chief minister was told that there were 666 beds with ventilators in Sindh, of them 50 were occupied and 454 vacant. Similarly, Sindh has the facility of 1872 HDU beds, of them 343 are occupied and 1529 vacant. The daily usage of oxygen has been recorded at 35089 m3.
The chief minister directed administration and the police department to strengthen their coordination and enforce implementation of SOPs.
It was pointed out that people were hosting iftar parties at their homes. This would cause the spread of the virus. The chief minister directed commissioner Karachi to stop such gatherings and launch an awareness campaign.
He also directed Commissioner Karachi not to allow any shop operating after 6p, except those which have been given exemptions.
Current COVID situation: Sharing the current COVID situation of May 3, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that 11 more patients died overnight lifting the death toll to 4,678 and 895 new cases emerged lifting the tally to 286,520.
Mr Shah said that 11 more patients died overnight lifting the death toll to 4,678 that constituted 1.6 percent death rate.
The CM added that 12696 tests were conducted which diagnosed 895 new cases that came to seven percent current detection rate. He added that so far 3,680,680 tests have been conducted which diagnosed 286,520 cases that constituted an overall eight percent detection rate.
Murad Ali Shah said that overnight 500 patients recovered and so far 265,776 patients have recovered that constituted 92.8 percent recovery rate.
He said that currently 16,066 patients were under treatment, of them 15,430 were home in isolation, five at isolation centers and 631 at different hospitals. He added that the condition of 592 patients was stated to be critical, including 53 have been shifted to ventilators.
According to the chief minister out of 895 new cases, 426 have been detected from Karachi, including 221 from East, 64 Malir, 63 Central, 60 South, 12 Korangi and six West. Hyderabad has 146 new cases, Jamshoro 45, Larkano 43, Naushehroferoze 41, Kashmore 38, Mirpurkhas 36, Khairpur 24, Dadu and Kambar 17 each, Sanghar 14, Matiari 13, Sukkur and Nawabshah nine each, Badin three, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Ghotki two each and uMerkot one.
