KARACHI: Sindh witnessed over 33% increase in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases, with three new deaths in Karachi, while the virus reached to Matiari, the last COVID-19 free district of the province, on April 26.

Sindh recorded 383 new coronavirus positive cases, including 340 detected at Karachi, during the last 24 hours ending at 8am on April 26, against 287 of the previous day.

The April 26 figure was all days’ highest number of cases reported in Sindh since February 26 when the first case of COVID-19 was detected here. Earlier, the highest increase in the new cases was recorded on April 16 when Sindh presented 340 cases. Sindh’s overall COVID-19 infection rate came as 11.19% on April 26.

Matiari was included in the official list of coronavirus reporting districts of Sindh with two new positive cases. It took the virus exact two months to reach Matiari from Karachi.

In view of the increase in number of cases, the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, chairing a meeting on April 26, called for further development of isolation centres and field hospitals in Karachi.

“The pace of new cases is significantly high and as such efforts should be made to meet the related demands, including increase in the capacity of Karachi Expo isolation centre, establishment of field hospitals at Dalmia Ground, Darul Ehsas on Manghopir Road and in the convention centre of the PAF Museum,” he observed.

As per the Sindh health department reports, three men aged 52, 55 and 74 years, respectively lost their lives due to coronavirus infection at one government and one private hospital, during the last 24 hours. The 52-year-old patient also had diabetes, while the 55-years-old patient had an autoimmune disease, having developed when the immune system mistakenly attacked the body’s own healthy tissue.

According to the corona-summary issued by the department, 340 new cases were reported in Karachi, while another 17 in Sukkur, followed by Hyderabad (7), Naushshero Feroze (4) and other districts.

While the virus has spread in all districts, the breakdown of total reported cases was: Karachi-six districts (3,249), Sukkur (409), Hyderabad (263), Khairpur (169), Ghotki with no new case (124), Larkana (108), Shaheed Benazirabad reporting no new case (84), Tando Mohammad Khan with no new case (32), Sanghar (26), Naushehro Feroze (23), Shikarpur with no new case (17), Dadu (15), Jamshoro (15), Badin (15), Jacobabad with no new case (11), Sujawal with no new case (9), Mirpurkhas (9), Kashmore with no news case (9), Tando Allahyar (8), Thatta (6), Umerkot with no new case (4), Tharparkar with no new case (4), Kamber Shahdadkot with no new case (4) and Matiari (2).

According to the official updates, in all 41,216 people have been tested for coronavirus across the province, out of which 4,615, including 3,249 at Karachi, tested positives, while the death toll remained 81 across the province so far.

In the meantime, according to sources in health circles, the emergency section of the KMC-run Abbasi Shaheed Hospital was closed for 24 hours on April 26 to carry out fumigation there, following a report that a doctor of the hospital had tested positive for coronavirus the previous day–PNFS