KARACHI: As many as 17 more patients of the coronavirus died overnight and 556 new cases emerged when 11,530 tests were conducted, raising the tally to 148,343 in the province.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah warned people to observe standard operational procedures (SOPs) “because the virus is again spreading widely”.

He said that 17 more patients lost their lives while struggling against the infection, lifting the death toll in Sindh to 2,664 that constituted 1.8 per cent death rate.

Mr Shah said that 11,530 samples were tested against which 556 new cases were diagnosed, constituting 4.8pc current detection rate.

The CM said that currently 5,813 patients were under treatment, of them 5,534 in home isolation, four at isolation centres and 275 at different hospitals, adding that the condition of 201 patients was stated to be critical. Of them 30 were shifted to ventilators.

He said that out of 556 new cases, 416 were detected in Karachi, including 170 in East, 163 in South, 43 in Central, 17 in Korangi, 15 in Malir and eight in West.

The CM said that 20 cases were reported in Hyderabad, 12 each in Qambar and Shaheed Benazirabad, 11 in Jamshoro, eight each in Tando Mohammad Khan and Thatta, seven in Sanghar, six in Mirpurkhas, four in Badin, five each in Sukkur, Tando Allahyar and Umerkot, three each in Ghotki and Shikarpur, two each in Dadu, Jacobabad while one each was reported in Khairpur, Larkana, Matiari, Naushahro Feroze and Sujawal.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2020