Coronavirus Update: 1,949 new cases in Sindh

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh, after five days of reduced COVID-19 testing of samples, witnessed a big stride in the activities on June 27 when authorities in the government declared detection of 1,949 (16%) new positive cases out of 11,901 tests, with new 38 related deaths, taking the number of infections to 78,267 and fatality to 1,243 in the province. 

The data revealed that Sindh’s new infection rate has been swinging for over a week. On June 18, it was 21%, which started dipping on June 20 and was recorded at 15% on June 22. It increased to 24% on June 23 and then went down to 19% on June 24 and 16% on June 27. 

In the meantime, keen observers expressed their concerns over the reported reduced field activity, including that at the COVID-19 testing laboratories, while the provincial health department resorted to keeping silent. 

Against their cumulative capacity of testing 13,150 samples, the 20 designated laboratories across the province performed 9,841 tests on June 22, 6,597 on June 23, 7,400 on June 24, 6,458 on June 25 and 5,103 on June 26. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine COVID-19 situation statement, informed that as many as 426,149 tests have been conducted by the laboratories during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on June 27, out of which 78,267 (18.36%) were declared positive for the virus. 

“There are at present 33,580 active coronavirus cases, while number of those recovered is 43,444. As many as 1,375 are hospitalized, including 696 in critical conditions,” he disclosed. 

He further said that another 38 COVID-19 patients had lost their lives across the province. However, his statement did not include the details of cities which endured the deaths of patients while the provincial health department officers also failed to provide the coronavirus data and summary, including details of deaths, to media professionals. 

In the meantime, an official report mentioned that 19 laboratories performed 9,831 tests, during the last 24 hours, against their collective capacity of doing 9,150 tests every day. The report gave to understand that the testing capacity of different laboratories have been revised lately. 

According to the Chief Minister’s statement, issued on June 27, Karachi reported the maximum number of new cases (1,139), followed by Hyderabad (99), Ghotki (93), Khairpur (68), Sukkur (54), Shikarpur (46), Shaheed Benazirabad (45), Sanghar (32), Mirpurkhas (27), Larkana (25), Jamshoro (17), Naushero Feroze (16), Dadu (15), Badin (12), Kashmore (9), Umerkot (7), Sujawal (6), Tando Allahyar (7), Jacobabad (3), Tando Mohammad Khan (2) and Matiari (2).

It was learnt that a total 24 intensive care beds were unoccupied at different COVID-19 care facilities in Karachi, including 10 beds housed at the Karachi Expo Centre field health facility.