No social distancing in slums: Karachi again leads with highest number of COVID-19 cases

KARACHI: Pakistan's port city once again led in terms of the number of coronavirus cases in Sindh, recording on Monday 269 of the province's 341 new patients over the past 24 hours, with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah saying social distancing was not being observed in the economic hub's slums despite serious efforts.

Shah said cases were rising day by day as social distancing was not being practised in the katchi abadis, or informal settlements despite efforts from officials and authorities. It is regardless next to impossible to do so as slums are highly-populated areas of the metropolis, with closely-knit communities and people often living in cramped spaces with inadequate facilities.

Of the 269 cases, 90 were in the East district, 50 in South, 40 in Korangi, 39 in West, 30 in Malir, and 20 in Central. Karachi — the worst-affected division — had on Sunday reported 301 of the province's 383 new cases.

Death toll at 1.7%

Over the past 24 hours, Sindh has carried out 2,733 tests, of which 341 were diagnosed as positive, translating into a rate of 12.6%, CM Shah said. To date, the provincial health department has conducted 43,949 tests, of which 4,956 (11.2%) have tested positive in total, he added.

The chief minister said four more patients lost their lives, bumping up Sindh's death toll from the novel coronavirus to 85, or 1.7%, of the total patients. However, 24 patients' condition was critical and another 16 were on ventilators.

With regard to those under treatment, he said 2,705 (68%) of the 3,946 were in self-isolation, 825 (21%) at isolation centers, and 416 (11%) in various different hospitals.

Across the province, on the other hand, 23 cases were reported in Khairpur, 12 each in Larkana and Hyderabad, eight in Ghotki, four in Sukkur, three in Dadu, two in Matiari, and one each in Jacobabad and Umerkot.