Govt decides to ramp up Covid testing in Karachi as cases rise

KARACHI: Amid an alarming rise in the coronavirus positivity rate in Karachi, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has decided to increase Covid testing in the port city to curb infections.

Taking to Twitter, NCOC said that it arranged a meeting Sindh Health Department on directions of Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel to formulate a strategy at the provincial level amid slight rise in Covid-19 cases in Karachi.

“It was discussed to increase testing, contact tracing and implementation of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs), especially mask wearing at all crowded places, and [during] domestic travel by air, railways or road,” a statement by the National Institute of Health (NIH) said.

On the directions of the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (NHSR&C), NCOC team arranged the meetings with Health Department Sindh to formulate a strategy at the provincial level amid slight rise in COVID-19 cases in Karachi.

— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) June 28, 2022

In last 24 hours 333 Covid-19 cases diagnosed in Pakistan, while two deaths were reported in the country.

Pakistan’s coronavirus test positivity ratio remained 2.42 percent in last 24 hours as 13,759 diagnostic tests were conducted across the country, the National Institute of Health (NIH) shared.

The COVID-19 positivity ratio in Karachi on Monday reached an alarming level of 22.65 percent, the highest in the country.