COVID-19 current wave could become manifold larger: Azra Pechuho

KARACHI: Present wave of the novel coronavirus could become four times bigger than the first wave of pandemic, quoting provincial health minister, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Sindh’s Minister for Health Azra Fazal Pechuho today said that COVID-19 cases spreading in thousands adding that daily 16,000 to 18,000 diagnostic tests being conducted in the province.

Existing winter wave of the disease could become manifold bigger than the spike in summer, the minister warned.

Overall 237 ventilators are available in Karachi hospitals for coronavirus patients, while the number of high dependency Unit (HDU) beds has been 828, health minister further said.

Moreover, 1536 beds are available at isolation wards, Pechuho stated.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in a session today said that the countrywide positivity ratio of Covid-19 cases was recorded at 6.59 per cent in the country in past 24 hours.

The number of critical patients of COVID-19 has reached to 2470 across the country.

Karachi has recorded the highest positivity ratio at 20.88pc, while Sindh have 12.91 positivity rate, according to the NCOC.

Pakistan has recorded 71 deaths and 2,729 new cases due to the COVID-19 in the last 24 hours on Saturday.

Overall death toll by the virus reached to 8,724 with 71 more deaths. Moreover, 2,116 patients recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours.

The total count of active cases in country is 45,124 and the positivity rate was recorded up to 6.5 per cent.