Alarm as Covid positivity rate reaches 35.3 per cent in Karachi

KARACHI: A steep rise has been recorded in the positivity rate of Covid cases including Omicron variant infections as it reached up to 35.40 per cent in Sindh capital Karachi.

The Sindh health department has confirmed that the Covid positivity rate has reached 35.30 per cent in Karachi. The province reported 2,846 infections in a day, whereas, 23 out of 24 patients turned out to be infected with Omicron variant after undergoing detection tests at two hospitals yesterday.

Overall 430 cases of the Omicron variant were reported in Karachi.

In the wake of an upward trend in Covid infections, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah summoned a session of the Provincial Task Force on Coronavirus today at 10:00.

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The provincial task force will finalise a strategy in light of the recommendations for curbing the spread of Covid cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Yesterday, some reports suggested that the health authorities had recommended imposing strict restrictions rather than a lockdown in Sindh to curb the virus spread.

It had been recommended to enforce coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) across Sindh in public places including shopping malls, marriage halls, hotels and other localities. The health authorities had recommended taking strict measures against the marriage halls to stop violations of SOPs.

It is likely that tough restrictions will be in place after the provincial task force’s session today.

Omicron: Pakistan records highest daily Covid cases since three months

Pakistan has recorded a total of 4,286 Covid infections and four deaths within 24 hours, witnessing a rise in positivity rate as it is now standing at 8.16 per cent in a day on Saturday. The country has 709 critical patients of Covid and tested 52,522 samples during the past day.

Statistics 15 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 52,522
Positive Cases: 4286
Positivity %: 8.16%
Deaths :4
Patients on Critical Care: 709

— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) January 15, 2022

Pakistan has so far administered a total of 166,837,089 doses of Covid vaccine doses out of which 76,649,649 were fully vaccinated and 101,457,925 have received their first dose.

In the past 24 hours, 332,969 have received their first dose of the Covid vaccine across the country, 462,614 fully vaccinated and 753,282 doses in a total were administered, according to NCOC data.