HYDERABAD: Three Covid-19 patients died in the city on Saturday, raising tally of deaths from coronavirus infection in the district to 44 since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The deceased included a 49-year-old man, an officer in forest department, who died at the Liaquat University Hospital’s high dependency unit (HDU) after remaining under treatment for three days. He was admitted to the hospital on June 10 and his body was shifted to Larkana, his native district.

A 63-year-old woman, who was also at the LUH’s HDU, succumbed to the contagion. She was a resident of Qasimabad and was admitted to the LUH on June 10.

Another woman died at Combined Military Hospital. She was a resident of Zeal Pak Colony. Bodies of the two women were handed over to Edhi volunteers for burial.

MIRPURKHAS: As many as 20 persons, among them 11 prisoners of Central Prison Mirpurkhas tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday.

Health department’s teams conducted tests of several persons, including prisoners, and found 11 inmates and nine members of general public to have the contagion. Jail authorities shifted the patients to Covid-19 isolation ward at the prison.

The health officials allowed the other patients to quarantine themselves at their homes because they were all asymptomatic.

SUKKUR: Nine persons, among them an official and seven employees of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), tested positive for coronavirus in Jacobabad on Saturday, raising total number of patients to 209 in the district.

Health officials said that they had collected samples of 107 persons and sent them to laboratory for test. The results received on Saturday showed nine persons including an official and seven employees of Nadra were infected with the virus and were hence isolated in their homes, said the officials.

SHIKARPUR: Four persons out of 32 whose samples were collected a day earlier were found to have the contagion on Saturday, said health officials.

They said the four who were cases of local transmission included a woman and three men. They were quarantined at their homes, said the officials.

With the new cases, the tally of coronavirus patients reached 469 in the district, among them 456 were cases of local transmission. The number of deaths had risen to 10, which included three women.

Shops sealed in Naudero for violating SOPs

LARKANA: Five bazaars and a big general store were sealed by local authorities in Naudero on Saturday over violation of standard operating procedures for Covid-19.

Ratodero assistant commissioner Abdul Wahid Channa ordered sealing of shops in Shahi Bazaar, Resham Gali, Keryana Bazaar, Sarrafa Bazaar, Darzi Bazaar and a big general store for a fortnight when he visited the town along with police and found most shops violating the SOPs.

He said the shopkeepers were advised to carry on business in line with the SOPs but they failed to stick to the measures against Covid-19 spread.

He ordered immediate closure of the bazaars and asked the SHO concerned to ensure implementation of SOPs.

More than 40 Covid-19 cases and three deaths have been reported in Naudero where two bank branches have also been sealed since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2020