KARACHI: Like other major cities in the country, Karachi too gave encouraging results on August 7 when the authorities registered in the metropolis 45% of the total 487 new COVID-19 infections detected across the province, with nine more related deaths, during the last 24 hours.

According to official data, COVID-19 testing laboratories across the province conducted as many as 12,429 tests, the maximum in recent days, during the last 24 hours ending on August 7 afternoon, out of which 221 were found positive in Karachi.

Earlier, Karachi, in the middle of a spell of monsoon rains, had reported 65% of the total positive cases on August 4, which decreased to 60% on August 5 and 59% on August 6.

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine COVID-19 status statement, shared that with the detection of 487 new cases Sindh’s overall infection tally reached to 123,246 on August 7.

“Sindh has tested 795,549 samples so far, with the infection positivity rate of 15%,” he disclosed, adding that there were still 6,022 active coronavirus patients in the province, out of which 5644 were isolated at homes, while only nine were in the government designated isolation centres, in addition to 369 being treated at hospitals.

“As many as 212 patients were in critical conditions, including 50 put on ventilators,” he continued. The COVID-19 fatality tally had reached to 2,259 according to the Chief Minister’s communication which, however, didn’t provide details of the hospitalization, age, gender and districts of the deceased people.

Sindh registered nine (64%) of the 14 deaths reported in the country on August 7 with Karachi reporting the maximum number of cases.

The other districts where new cases were registered during the day were Dadu (27), Badin (19), Hyderabad (17), Khairpur (16), Jamshoro (14), Umerkot (13), Shikarpur (12), Sukkur (11), Ghotki (10), Shaheed Benazirabad (8), Mirpurkhas (7), Sujawal (7), Tando Allahyar (7), Thatta (7), Kambar Shahdadkot (6), Naushero Feroze (6), Matiari (5), Jacobabad (4), Larkana (2) and Sanghar 2). As of August 6, Karachi in all had reported 87,828 COVID-19 infections, followed by Hyderabad (4,540), Sukkur (3,691), Ghotki (3,416), Khairpur (2,868), Larkana (2,118), Shaheed Benazirabad (1,807) and other districts.

As of August 6, Karachi in all had reported 87,828 COVID-19 infections, followed by Hyderabad (4,540), Sukkur (3,691), Ghotki (3,416), Khairpur (2,868), Larkana (2,118), Shaheed Benazirabad (1,807) and other districts–PNFS