KARACHI: The coronavirus has claimed 34 more lives and infected another 2,655 persons overnight, lifting the death toll to 1,377 and tally of the cases to 84,656.

This was stated by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday in a statement issued here.

He said that 9,435 samples were tested, which detected 2,655 new cases that constituted 28 per cent detection rate.

He added that so far 453,386 tests had been conducted against which 84,656 patients were diagnosed, of them 46,824, including 1,208 overnight, recovered and returned to normal life.

“The recovery rate in Sindh comes to 55 per cent,” the CM said.

Governor inaugurates lab set up by Al-Khidmat in Nazimabad to conduct coronavirus tests

He said that 34 more patients died lifting the death toll to 1,377 that constituted 1.6pc death ratio.

“We are trying to control the death rate by diagnosing patients in time and [starting] their treatment,” he said.

Currently, 36,455 patients are under treatment, of them 34,785 in home isolation, 166 at isolation centres and 1,504 at different hospitals of the province, the CM said, adding that currently 708 patients were in critical condition, of them 102 had been shifted to ventilators.

The CM said that out of 2,655 cases Karachi had 686 new cases, of them 252 in East, 175 in South, 107 in Central, 62 in Malir, 49 in West and 44 cases in Korangi.

He said that Hyderabad had 93 new cases, Ghotki 76, Sukkur 74, Jamshoro 45, Mirpurkhas 34, Khairpur 34, Tando Allahyar 32, Jacobabad 28, Sanghar 23, Shaheed Benazirabad 23, Larkana 22, Shikarpur 19, Qambar 19, Umerkot 12, Dadu 13, Badin and Naushahro Feroze nine each, Sujawal six, Tando Mohammad Khan five, Thatta four and Kashmore and Matiari had one case each.

The chief minister urged the people of Sindh to stay safe by observing safety guidelines issued by the government.

Governor opens testing facility in Nazimabad

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Tuesday inaugurated a Covid-19 testing laboratory in Nazimabad.

The lab, which was set up by Al-Khidmat, the welfare wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami, would conduct tests at nominal charges.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Governor Ismail said that Al-Khidmat was not only a welfare institute but also an honourable and honest organisation, which had set up such a centre that would cater to the needs of underprivileged as well as common citizens.

Al-Khidmat diagnostic project director Prof Naila Tariq briefed the Sindh governor on the initiative and informed him that philanthropists and corporate sector of the country had offered their assistance to establish the laboratory and in the next phase a research academy would also be set up.

She further said that it is a Level-3 laboratory and its tests could be verified by any certified centre. The organisation, she said, would build research data laboratory in order to help the government.

The test reports would be given in 24 hours, she added.

Founder Corporate Group Azfar Ahsan requested the governor to come forward and provide assistance to this institute.

The chairman of the diagnostic complex governing body, Haroon Qasim, expressed gratitude to the Corporate Group for Rs30 million funding and said a research and development project was also under consideration.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2020