Coronavirus Update: No respite as 17 more die in Sindh

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As many as 84 beds in the COVID-19 intensive care units (ICU) of hospitals across Sindh were vacant on June 25 when authorities in the government registered another 1,098 new cases, with 17 more deaths, pushing the tally of patients dying of the lethal virus diseases to 1,178. 

According to an official report, a maximum of 25 COVID-19 ICU beds were vacant in Karachi hospitals, followed by Hyderabad (18), Shaheed Benazirabad (8), Sukkur (16) and Larkana (17). The number of unoccupied high dependency beds was 696 including 414 at Karachi.

The statement on COVID-19 situation in Sindh, issued from the Chief Minister’s House, revealed that 17% of the total 6,458 samples tested were found positive at various laboratories of the province during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on June 25. However, the statement did not disclose all the districts where the new infections were registered. 

It gave a district-wise breakdown of about 600 cases, without revealing the status of the diseases in districts like Jacobabad, Khairpur, Kambar Shahdadkot, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushero Feroze and Tharparkar, many of which have been reporting new cases in significant number. 

The CM House statement also did not include any district-wise details of new COVID-19 deaths. In the statement, which was the only source of information about COVID-19 for media on June 25, Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, said that said that 6,458 samples were tested and 1,098 positive cases were detected, taking the tally of total infection to 75,168 for the province.

According to the statement, Karachi reported the maximum of 494 new cases, including Karachi South (208), East (141), Central 48, Malir (44), Korangi (32) and West (21).

The other districts which reported the cases, according to the statement, were Hyderabad (34), Ghotki (33), Sukkur (15), Shikarpur (8), Sanghar (6), Umerkot (5), Dadu (5), Larkana (4), Mirpurkhas (4), Jamshoro (2), Badin (2), Thatta (1) and Sujawal (1). 

The Chief Minister urged the people of the province to be vigilant and responsive to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to COVID-19. 

It was further said that 33,131 infected people were still receiving treatment, including 31,665 at homes, 1,388 at hospitals and 78 at isolation centres. “As many as 641 patients were in critical condition, including 99 those utilizing ventilators.” 

An official report issued on June 20 revealed that the South district of Karachi, which reported the maximum infection in Karachi on June 25, had registered in all 6,960 COVID-19 cases, while enduring 44 deaths. Its overall infection rate came as 326 per 100,000 people, while the case fatality rate stood at 3.5%. 

In the meantime, the website of the Sindh health department, updated at 7.52 pm on June 25, mentioned the Sindh death toll as 1,202, while the department did not issue daily COVID-19 summary to media for the third day running. The health department’s last summary was issued on June 22.