Coronavirus Update: Highest weekly deaths in Sindh

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh has recorded highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a week, as the provincial health department confirmed as many as 14 new deaths in Karachi and two other districts, Hyderabad and Larkana on May 23, pushing the overall death toll to 354 for the province. 

According to official statistics, at least 12.28 persons lost their lives to coronavirus daily during the week ending on May 23, in comparison to the preceding week (May 10 to 16) when on average 11.42 persons died of the lethal disease on a single day. The latest one week’s death tally (86) was the all weeks’ highest in the province.

Keen observers noted that the death rates progression was alarming, particularly when coronavirus restrictions have eased about a week back. 

The government needs to assess relevant intensive care quality both at the private and public hospitals and medical service delivery in the case of patients kept in home-isolation. 

According to a report, as many as 20 COVID-19 patients died on May 21, including 16 who lost their lives on ventilators. The remaining four off ventilators death included two patients who died at home and another two due to sudden pulmonary arrests. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in a statement on May 23, informed that 155 patients were still in critical health conditions, out of which 34 were put on ventilators. 

The official daily summary revealed that 10 of the men patients, who died during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on May 23, were aged from 47 to 78 years while two deceased women were respectively 65 and 74-year-old. 

With the latest deaths the tally of fatalities rose to 292 for Karachi. Hyderabad reported death of an 80-year-old woman while one woman aged 30 years died at Larkana. The two districts have already reported 21 and seven COVID-19 deaths respectively. 

On May 23, Sindh reported 762 new infections with Karachi (669), Larkana (20), Sukkur (17) Hyderabad (15), Khairpur (15), Shikarpur (8), Ghotki (5), Kambar Shahdadkot (3), Jacobabad (2), Mirpurkhas (2), Jamshoro (1), Badin (1), Thatta (1) and Tharparkar (1). 

As many as 198 patients recovered from the diseases during the last 24 hours, while the number of total infections came as 21,645, according to the summary.