Coronavirus Update: ICUs full to capacity

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the majority of COVID-19 hospitals in Karachi reported running full to surge capacity on July 3 when authorities in the government confirmed 1,496 new coronavirus infections, with 22 related deaths across the province.

According to data the daily infection rate dropped to 15% on July 3, against 26% of July 2. The overall infection rate for Sindh came as 19%, while the case fatality rate was 1.6%. 

A study of some recent reports on COVID-19 intensive care beds revealed that 258 ICU beds were available at 18 public and private hospitals in the metropolis on July 3, out of which 42 were unoccupied at various hospitals. 

SMBB Trauma Centre, DUHS Hospital, National Institute of Child Health, Liaquat National Hospital, Patel Hospital, Indus Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital and Kutyana Memon Hospitals collectively had 114 ICU beds but all filled. 

On July 2, there were 28 ICU beds vacant, while on July 1, there were 29 ICU beds vacant at various hospitals. However, on July 2, ICU units at nine hospitals were full to capacity, while on July 1, as many 8 hospitals did not have any ICU bed vacant. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine COVID-19 statement, shared that there were 653 critically ill patients at various hospitals in the province, out of which 104 were put on ventilators. 

He said that 22 more patients died on COVID-19 in the province during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on July 3, taking the tally of fatalities to 1,459 for the province. 

However, there was no information about the district where the fatalities occurred, as the Sindh health department did not release the relevant information on July 3. 

The district-wise breakdown of new infections, as given in the Chief Minister’s statement, came as: Karachi (750), Sukkur (44), Sanghar (44), Badin (41), Ghotki (40), Khairpur (29), Thatta (20), Kambar Shahdadkot 22), Shaheed Benazirabad (17), Jamshoro (11), Shikarpur (11),Kashmore (7), Larkana (6), Dadu (5), Naushero Feroze (5), Jacobabad (4), Umerkot (3)Tando Allahyar (2), Tando Mohammad Khan (1) and Morpurkhas (1). There was no mention, however, of new cases at Hyderabad, which had recently been showing an average 90 cases every day.