Karachi, May 18, 2020 (PPI-OT): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his province was much ahead of other provinces in conducting COVID-19 tests and their labs were working at 77 percent capacity. “We have 19 laboratories to test coronavirus samples and they have the capacity to test 6550 samples a day; now they are operating at 77 percent of their capacity,” he said in a statement issued from CM House on Monday.
The chief minister said coronavirus testing lab was also being established in Larkana, apart from establishing designated hospitals for the COVID-19 patients. He said that 864 new cases of coronavirus had been detected when 4679 samples were tested, and now the tally has risen to 17,241. Shah said that overnight 4679 tests were conducted which detected 864 cases, including 657 in Karachi. He added that so far, 127573 samples had been tests which diagnosed 17241 cases which constituted 13.5 percent of the total tests.
According to the chief minister, three more patients died of the virus’ lifting the death toll to 280 which came to 1.6 percent of the total patients. At present, 12472 patients are under treatment, of them 11,095 or 89 percent are in home isolation, 815 or six percent at Isolation centers and 562 or five percent in hospitals. Shah said that 136 patients were in critical condition including 29 who had been put in ventilators. Shah said that 280 more patients were cured and discharged to lead normal lives but under some SOPs and precautions.
“We have 4489 patients who have recovered and returned to their homes which constitutes 26 percent of the total patients,” Shah said and added: “The recovery ratio in the province is static at 26 percent and we are trying to improve it further.” District-wise breakup: The chief minister said that out 864 patients, 657 belonged to Karachi. He added that 171 new cases had been diagnosed in East, 141 in Malir, 117 in South, 94 in Central, 75 in Korangi and 59 in West.
Ghotki has 31 new cases, Hyderabad 30, Larkana 21, Sukkur 17, seven in Kambar-Shahdadkot, five Kashmore-Kandhkot, two each in Matiari and Naushehroferoe and one each in Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur and Jamshoro.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019(Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk