Coronavirus: Sindh infected tally soars to 208 as new cases emerge

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Sindh rose to 208 on Wednesday after new cases emerged, the provincial chief minister's adviser Murtaza Wahab confirmed.

Three more cases were also confirmed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by provincial Health and Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra and one in Azad Jammu and Kashmir by Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan.

With new cases reported across the country the national tally surged to 297.

Sindh total

“143 tests of the 290 pilgrims that we conducted came back positive,” Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab told a press conference today. “All of these had been shifted from Taftan to quarantine in Sukkur.”

Wahab added that all the affected people have been kept in isolation.

Speaking about the number of testing kits available, Wahab said the federal government had only provided 200 testing kits to the province. “Out of the kits provided, 100 kits were given to Aga Khan University Hospital and the remaining to Dow University Ojha campus."

On question of testing capacity in the province, Wahab said the Sindh government has imported 10,000 more kits.

“On the government level, tests are being conducted at Aga Khan, Indus Hospital and Dow University,” Wahab said. So far, he said, “506 tests have been conducted at Aga Khan, 277 at Indus and 61 at Ojha campus.”

Criticising the federal government on their response to the epidemic, Wahab said the prime minister should take this seriously.

“Yesterday’s address by the prime minister shows what his priorities are. The provincial government has repeatedly asked the federal government to take a proactive role,” he noted.

Responding to a question, the spokesperson said that hospitals were not being shut down. “The hospital staff has one of the most important duties to perform under current circumstances. We need to make sure they are not fatigued,” he added.  

In response to a question, Wahab said that a five-member committee has formed to oversee the fund. “The names of Mushtaq Chapra, Dr Bari, Faisal Edhi have been proposed. Chapra and Bari have committed. Edhi yet to give an answer,” he added.