AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Karachi, April 24, 2020 (PPI-OT): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that with the death of two more persons following contracting coronavirus, the death toll from the virus infection has risen to 75 in Sindh while 49 patients are in critical condition.
This he disclosed in his video message in which he shared the status of coronavirus with the people of Sindh regularly. He said that with two more deaths on Friday, the number of lives claimed by the virus had reached 75. He said: “Our 49 patients are in critical condition and 15 of them have been put on the ventilators, he disclosed. He added 274 new cases emerged on Friday when 2561 tests were conducted. This is the situation against which we are struggling to slow down the spread of the virus so that necessary measures could be taken.
He said that out of 274 new cases, 202 belong to Karachi and 71 to other districts. They include 88 in District South, 60 in East, 28 Central, 21 in Malir, and six in West. The total number of coronavirus cases in Karachi has surged to 2,285, the chief minister said. “At present, District Central has 28 cases, East 553, Malir 255, South 736 and West 277,” he said.
The chief minister said that 42 patients had recovered and sent back to their homes. “The number of the patients recovered from the infection comes to 772 or 20 percent of the total patients,” he said. Shah said that 3,100 patients were under treatment including 1893 or 61 percent in at homes, 767 or 24.8 percent at Isolation Centers and 440 of 14.2 percent in hospitals.
Stranded Pakistanis: The chief minister said that six different flights had flown back 849 stranded Pakistanis, including 62 crew members and all of them had been tested. The test results showed that 127 were positive, 696 negative and 26 samples were being tested again.
The chief minister said that so far 35,589 results tests had been made against which 3,945 cases had been diagnosed. Tablighi Jamaat: Shah said that there were 5,102 members of Tablighi Jamaat and all of them were tested, as a result, 765 of them were diagnosed as positive while the results of four people were pending. The members of Tablighi Jamaat who have been declared as negative were being sent back to their homes.
“The treatment of the patients is underway and hopefully they will recover very soon,” he said. The chief minister said that after Karachi, Sukkur had shown the spread of local transmission with 14 new cases. “The data of districts is Sukkur 14, Umerkot one, Tando Allahyar one, Sanghar one, Kambar-Shahdadkot one and Badin one. Appreciating doctors, the chief minister said that they were deemed to be at the frontline but later realized that they were our last defense line. “We, ourselves, are at the frontline and after being infected with coronavirus, we go to the doctors as the last defense line,” he said.
Difficult Decision: Murad Ali Shah said that being a chief executive of the province, he had taken difficult decisions in the supreme interest of the people of the province. “I had announced strict lockdown from 12 noon to 3 pm and decided to advise people to offer Taraweeh at their homes,” he said.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019(Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk