Covid-19 fourth wave losing some steam, NCOC Karachi session told

KARACHI: The fourth wave of Covid-19 has entered in its sixth week in country and losing some of its steam, a session of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) briefed here on Saturday.

According to ARY News, a session of the NCOC in Karachi was held at the CM House hosted by Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. Federal Minister Asad Umar, Lt. Gen. Hamood-uz-Zaman, Special Assistant to PM Khalid Mansoor and other officials attended the meeting.

“The pandemic is raging in Azad Jammu and Kashmir with ratio of Covid-19 positive cases soared to 26 percent,” the session was informed in briefing. “Test Positivity Rate in Sindh has been 13 pct,” the meeting told.

“In Karachi positivity rate has been 21 percent, which is dropped by three pct from the previous positivity ratio,” the NCOC session briefed.

However, the hike in coronavirus cases in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is slower, according to the briefing.

The meeting was informed that 67 percent cases in Karachi are coming from Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Hyderabad.

“Daily 500 patients adding to the total number of infections in the country,” the meeting briefed.

“There are 1210 patients in precarious condition in Karachi, which is maximum in the country. The death rate has also enhanced in the city.”

“The Delta variant wave has been more intensive in Karachi,” the NCOC session briefed. “The Sindh government has taken stringent measures to counter the virus disease”.

The NCOC session was briefed that Sindh government has added 583 oxygenated beds in hospitals with its resources. Sindh has arranged 100 more oxygen beds at JPMC, 75 at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, 100 oxygen beds at Eidgah maternity home, 150 at Expo Centre and 158 more beds at Covid hospitals.

“The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has provided another 537 oxygen beds to Sindh and presently the province have total 1120 oxygenated beds,” the meeting was briefed.

The meeting was also attended by provincial ministers, chief secretary, Secretary Health Dr. Kazim Jatoi, Dr. Faisal, Prof. Saeed Qureshi, I.G. Sindh Police and others.