Murtaza Wahab warns Sindh as COVID-19 cases rise to 6.5 % positivity ratio

Due to a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases across the province, the Sindh government has once against warned the public to take precautionary measures against the disease and cooperate with the authorities.

On Tuesday, 521 new cases were reported in the province, taking the positivity ratio of the virus to 6.6% within a day. According to Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, the province's virus death toll now stands at 2,639, translating into a 1.8% death rate.

Reiterating the importance of following the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that the authorities took some crucial decisions in March this year to contain the spread of the virus.

“At that time, citizens fully cooperated with the government regarding the implementation of the SOPs,” Wahab said. “As a result, Sindh successfully controlled the pandemic, confining the number of cases to one per cent.”

Wahab added that the decline in the number of cases led to the widespread belief that the virus had disappeared from Pakistan, which is far from true.

“Coronavirus is still present all over the country and is still attacking people. The worrisome part is that the virus is rapidly spreading in Sindh, increasing to 6.5% the past day.”

He stressed people must wear masks and practice social distancing when leaving their houses.

“With winter just around the corner, cough and cold is becoming more common, therefore, everyone should wear a mask at all times to cooperate with the government,” he appealed to the people of Sindh.

“Take special care when visiting crowded spaces like shopping malls, wedding venues, and restaurants, among others. We have to take care of ourselves and our families as well as the whole society.”

Pakistan on Tuesday recorded a 4.94% COVID-19 positivity rate — the highest in three months. Data from the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) show that 1,313 new cases were identified across the country, bringing the total tally to 337,573. The country's death toll stands at 6,867 as 18 people succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours.