Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s fatality tally crosses 2,300

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh’s COVID-19 fatality tally crossed 2,300 on August 13 when authorities declared 360 new infections during the last 24 hours across the province, pushing the overall infection tally to 125,289 for Sindh, against the national 287,300.

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine COVID-19 statement, shared that 10 more infected people died during the last 24 hours ending on August 13 afternoon in the province, taking the total death to 2,307.

The death tally was 1,406 on July 1, 1,501 on July 7, 1,713 on July 10, 1,826 on July 13, 1,922 on July 16, 2,010 on July 20, 2,110 on July 24, 2,209 on July 30. An average of 6.5 people died every day during August, according to the official data. 

The Chief Minister further informed that there were still 4,058 active patients of coronavirus in the province, including 3,666 at homes, 384 at hospitals.

The health condition of as many as 242 patients is stated in critical condition, out of which 40 are receiving the ventilator intervention.

During the last 24 hours Karachi reported 185 (51%) new cases, followed by Badin (23), Dadu (12), Ghotki (12), Shikarpur (10), Thatta (10), Jamshoro (8), Khairpur (8), Mirpurkhas (8), Sanghar (8), Larkana (7), Hyderabad (7), Umerkot (7), Kashmore (3), Naushero Feroze (3), Sujawal (3), Jacobabad (2), Shaheed Benazirabad (2) and Tando Mohammad Khan (1).

According to authorities, 10,754 samples were tested overnight, three percent of which was found to be positive for COVID-19.

Another report suggested that the laboratories at Karachi tested 5,368 samples and found 263 positive cases for COVID-19, compared to 5,407 samples examined by laboratories in the interior, with 96 positive cases.

Of the 409 COVID-19 intensive care beds at Karachi, 104 were occupied by critically ill patients, while hospitals housed in the interior of Sindh had only six patients in their ICUs, as of August 13.

On August 12, five patients lost their lives to COVID-19 at Karachi and one each at Jamshoro and Hyderabad.

One of the deceased persons was receiving treatment at home. Of the total 6,798 health care providers infected with COVID-19 across the country so far, 2,057 belonged to Sindh, against 2263 of KPK, 1,106 of Punjab and 1,560 of Baluchistan.

At Karachi, 1587 doctors, 174 nurses and 296 paramedical and other staffs were infected, according to an official report as of August 12.