Omicron variant cases increasing in Karachi says, Murad

KARACHI: Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh, had stated that apart from COVID -19 cases, the infection rate of Omicron variant had started intensifying in the province, particularly in the city for which the residents would have to follow the SOPs. Otherwise, it would turn alarming.  

He tried to say that 133 tests were carried out between December 28th, 2021, and January 2nd, 2022. 

Ninety-five of these were found to be Omicron variations, bringing the province's total to 268. Most of the cases were spread locally, he said, although a handful had a travel history.

Previously, Sindh had 173 Omicron instances, but that figure had recently risen to 268 due to the discovery of 95 more cases. 

"It suggests that the new strain was spreading swiftly and needed to be controlled by preventive measures," he added.

Giving details of the daily situation report, he asserted that two more patients of COVID-19, lifting the death toll to 7,678, constituted a 1.6 per cent death rate.He said that 17,702 samples were tested, which detected 759 cases that constituted a 4.3 per cent current detection rate. He added that 7,214,489 tests had been conducted against which 483,728 cases were diagnosed as positive.

He acknowledged that currently, 7,583 patients were under treatment, of the 7,386 were in home isolation, 48 were at isolation centres, and 149 were at different health facilities. He added that the condition of one-hundred-and-forty-two patients was stated to be in danger, including 16 shifted to ventilators.

Murad Ali Shah articulated that out of 759 new cases, 648 had been detected from Karachi, including 240 from District South, 237 District East, 100 District Central, 31 District Korangi, 26 District West and 14 District Malir.

Shaheed Benazirabad had 14, Nausheroferoze 13, Hyderabad 10, Tharparkar 9, Sujawal 7, Kamber, Tando Allahyar and Shikarpur 6 each, Larkana and Sukkur 5 each, Ghotki, Thatta and Jacobabad 4 each, Tando Muhammad Khan and Umerkot 3 each, Badin, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Kashmore and Jamshoro had two each.

He claimed that as of January 4th, 29,951,245 vaccines had been administered, and in the past 24 hours, 182,533 vaccines had been provided, bringing the total number of vaccines administered to 30,133,778 (54.64 per cent).