Coronavirus Update: Infection rate rises in Sindh

 By Mukhtar Alam

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh, which in recent days has witnessed inconstancy in its daily new COVID-19 infection rates, is inching closer to 2,500 fatalities, while authorities on September 27 here confirmed six more out of nine deaths due to the lethal virus reported in the country, along with 251 new infections detected across the province during the last 24 hours.

According to the data, Sindh’s daily infection rate maintained an uptrend on September 27, standing at 2.58%, which was 2.32% on September 26 and 1.42% on September 25. 

In all 11,708 samples were handled by the designated laboratories in the province during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on September 27, which confirmed 185 (74%) new positive cases at Karachi. 

Karachi was followed by Hyderabad (7), Badin (7), Jacobabad (5), Jamshoro (4), Dadu (3), Larkana (2), Tando Allahyar (2), Ghotki (1), Shaheed Benazirabad (1), Khairpur (1), Sujawal (1), Sukkur (1) and others. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his COVID-19 related statement, shared that there at present were 3,772 patients, including 3,493 those receiving treatment at homes, six at isolation centres and 273 in hospitals, while 158 patients were stated in critical condition, along with 19 on ventilators. 

In the meantime, Sindh's fatalities reached to 2,492 on September 27, against country's tally of 6,466 deaths out of 310,841 infections.

Shariq Vohra elected as KCCI President

 By Syed Sajid Aziz 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Shariq Vohra, an eminent entrepreneur and philanthropist, has taken over as the new President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), after being elected unopposed for the year 2020-2021. 

Saqib Goodluck has been elected as the Senior Vice President, while Shams-ul-Islam Khan as become the Vice President of Pakistan’s largest chamber of commerce, having more than 20,000 members in its folds. 

It may be recalled that all the candidates of the Businessmen Group (BMG), headed by Siraj Kasim Teli, had been elected unopposed for the managing committee. 

The committee also includes Mohammad Hanif Ayoob, Qazi Zahid Hussain, Muhammad Hilal Sheikh, Muhammad Ali, Sheikh Muddasir Rafiq Magoon, Tanveer Ahmed Barry, Jawed Siddiq, Chaudhry Muhammad Zahid Bashir, Ahmed Azeem Alavi, Muhammad Iqbal Khamisani, Zaheer Ahmed and Faiz Ahmed.

Rotary Darakhshan, LPB join hands to discuss COVID-19’s impact on libraries

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan (RCKD), with the collaboration of Library Promotion Bureau (LPB), will be organizing a seminar on the subject of COVID-19’s impact on libraries at the bureau’s record office, housed in Liaquat Memorial Library, Karachi, on September 30. 

Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari and Prof Dr Nasim Fatima, two of the stalwarts of the profession of library and information science, along with some of the top Rotary leaders, will be sharing their thoughts on one of the most relevant topics these days. 

Jahangir Moghul, a former District Governor of Rotary International besides being Charter President of RCKD, Asim Murtaza Khan, President, RCKD, and Syed Khalid Mahmood, Vice President, RCKD, will also speak in the session which will begin with introductory remarks from Syed Ahmed Naqvi of LPB while Waqas Moghul, Secretary, RCKD, will present vote of thanks. 

The programme is being organized by RCKD, as part of Rotary International’s designated month of basic education and literacy.

KCR revival promised at fast track

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Federal Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, announced that the KCR revival project was progressing at fast track and it would be revived soon as per the directives of apex court. 

While talking to media at Shah Abdul Latif station of the KCR track he added that all the encroachments along the railways lines would be completely eliminated.

"Pakistan Railways is all set to spend Rs. 10.5 billion on the KCR rehabilitation project whereas the responsibility of constructing 24 over head bridges lies over the shoulders of provincial government,” he remarked while highlighting the complete liaison between Pakistan Railways and Sindh government on the historic project's revival. 

He further said that preparation of KCR coaches was in full swing in Islamabad and a model coach would soon be displayed at Cantonment station Karachi. 

The minister visited Gillani, Nazimabad, Gulbai and Shah Abdul Latif stations along the KCR track and inquired the progress of his department on the rehabilitation project. He was accompanied by CEO/Senior General Manager, Nisar Ahmad Memon, DS Karachi, Arshad Salam Khattak, and PD KCR, Ameer Mohammad Daudpota.

Coronavirus Update: Downslide in Sindh

 Mukhtar Alam 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh, after a gap of a couple of days, witnessed a downslide in its daily numbers of COVID-19 cases on September 25, though the laboratories tested the samples beyond their collective maximum daily testing capacity of 14,940 during the last 24 hours.

Of the 16,976 samples examined during the last 24 hours, ending at 8 am on September 25, as many as 241 (1.42%) were declared new infections. The province’s daily infection rate was 2.5% on September 24 after being 2.22% on September 23. 

Sindh had registered 135,488 infections, since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country on February 26, while 129,396 (95.5%) have recovered from the diseases. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine COVID-19 statement, shared that four more patients died during the last 24 hours in the province, taking the tally of the disease's fatalities to 2,481 for the province, against Pakistan’s overall death figure of 6,451. 

He added that there were still 3,611 people infected people, who were receiving treatment at homes (3328), isolation centres (6), and hospitals 277, including 137 undergoing the critical phase of their health, while 13 were put on ventilators. 

Karachi reported 103 new cases, followed by Sujawal (18), Hyderabad (4), Dadu (4), Shaheed Benazirabad (3), Badin (2), Larkana (2), Matiari (2), Mirpurkhas (2), Sanghar (2), Shikarpur (2), Tharparkar (1), Thatta (1) and others.

Families of PIA crash victims await justice, regret highhandedness

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The families of the victims of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK 8303, which had crashed in Karachi earlier this year, have condemned the highhandedness from the concerned authorities while seeking justice.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, dated September 22, 2020, whose copy was circulated on social media, some of the affected families have reported having been humiliated at every place where they have gone to seek entitlement during the past four months. 

Members of the affected families had also held a media conference at the Karachi Press Club a few months ago to bring to light their sufferings at the hands of the concerned departments when receiving the bodies of their loved ones.

It may be recalled that the PIA’s scheduled domestic flight from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi had crashed just before landing in the densely populated area of Model Colony on that fateful afternoon of May 22, 2020. 

The Airbus A320 in use perished a few kilometres from the runway, while on a second approach after a failed landing. Of the 91 passengers and 8 crew on board the aircraft (99 onboard), 97 were killed, and two passengers survived with injuries. Eight people on the ground were also reported to have been injured in the accident and one of them reportedly later died from injuries.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s infection rate continues rising

 By Mukhtar Alam

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh’s daily COVID-19 infection rate continued rising for the third day running as the authorities in the government on September 24 confirmed detection of 401 new cases, with six more related fatalities across the province during the last 24 hours.

According to the data, Sindh had the rate of new infections as 1.4% on September 22, which increased to 2.5% on September 24 morning, taking the overall infection tally to 135,246 for the province, 129,101 of which were reported to have recovered from the diseases, while 2,477 lost their lives. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his COVID-19 status statement on September 24, shared that as many as 3,668 patients were receiving treatment at homes (3,776), isolation centres (5) and hospitals (287). At hospitals, 135 were told to be critical condition, while 14 were put on ventilators. 

In all 16,093 samples were examined at COVID-19 laboratories across Sindh during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on September 24, out of which the maximum 244 (61%) from Karachi’s six districts were registered as new positive cases. Hyderabad reported 19 new cases, followed by Badin (8), Dadu (5), Tando Mohammad Khan (4), Jamshoro (4), Larkana (2), Matiari (2), Sukkur (2), Mirpurkhas (1), Sanghar (1), Jacobabad (1) and other districts.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s cases fluctuate

 By Mukhtar Alam

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh, with its fluctuating daily COVID-19 infection rates, registered three of the four related deaths reported in the country on September 21 when authorities here confirmed 296 new infections, out of 15,211 samples, during the last 24 hours.

Pakistan’s fourth COVID-19 fatality of the day was reported from Punjab, which had 59 new cases on September 21. 

Sindh registered an average 284 cases daily during the week till September 21. 

The daily new case numbers ranged from 227 to 341, while its total positive case tally came as 134,243. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his statement related to the COVID-19 status, shared that as many as 128,494 patients had recovered from the diseases, while 3,286 more, including 2,930 in home isolation, five in isolation centres and 351 in hospitals, were receiving treatment for the disease. 

He further stated that condition of 175 patients was stated critical while 20 were put on ventilators, as of September 21. 

According to official data, six districts of Karachi division reported 143 new cases, followed by Badin (25), Hyderabad (5), Matiari (4), Shikarpur (3), Sanghar (2), Shaheed Benazirabad (2), Umerkot (2), Dadu (2), Jacobabad (2), Larkana (1) and Sukkur (1).

The fluctuation in cases, particularly in the province of Sindh, has caused alarms and people have been under some kind of pressure in performing their duties at a time when almost every business activity has resumed.

Phase 3 trials for COVID-19 vaccine start in Pakistan

 By Masood Sattar Khan

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), on September 22, has announced the launch of phase 3 clinical trials in Pakistan for a potential vaccine being developed by China’s CanSino Biologics for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). 

The trials for the first couple of phases for the vaccine were held in China. Pakistan, under a public-private partnership between the National Institute of Health (NIH) and CanSino, is among the countries which will carry out Phase 3, the NCOC declared. 

The NIH Executive Director, Maj Gen Aamer Ikram, and the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, during their joint press conference, described the trial as an important step in which the Pakistanis will also be taking part.

“The entire world is looking towards a vaccine right now. There are seven vaccines for which trials are being conducted, three of them developed in China. This CanSino vaccine is based on recombinant technology in which an adino-vector is made deficient. The virus vector and cell culture has been procured from Canada," Maj Gen Aamer Ikram remarked. 

Meanwhile the Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister, Asad Umar, also shared information on the subject. “Just launched the phase 3 trials for COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan. Vaccine has been developed by a Chinese company. A total of 40,000 people will participate in this trial in seven countries, of which 8 to 10,000 will be Pakistanis. Initial results expected in 4 to 6 months,” he tweeted.

Coronavirus Update: Karachi registers 70% of Sindh infections

 By Mukhtar Alam 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Karachi division recorded 70% of the new COVID-19 cases detected across the province of Sindh on September 20 when one more patient was reported expired due to the virus during the last 24 hours.

Official reports revealed that in all 321 new cases were registered in 18 districts during the last 24 hours ending September 20 morning, with an overall daily infection rate of 2.43%, against 1.83% calculated on September 19. 

According to official COVID-19 data, Karachi registered an average 157 new cases every day during the week ending September 20. 

Its share in the total new cases reported across the province remained 53% on September 17, which increased up to 73% by September 19. 

Karachi’s different districts have so far added 86,512 COVID-19 cases to the overall Sindh’s tally, including the maximum 25852 from East district where a total 684 patients lost their lives due to the diseases in hospitals and homes, so far. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his statement related to COVID-19 status, shared that the new cases were found out of 13,198 samples, pushing the overall number of infections to 133,947 for the province. 

He informed that 2,793 infected persons were at present isolated in homes, while five at the isolation centres and 282 at various hospitals, including 179 critically ill patients, with another 168 people having recovered from the diseases during the last 24 hours. 

The reports said that 24 patients were receiving the ventilator intervention at various hospitals, including six at AKUH, five at CHK, four each at the Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research centre and Indus Hospital Karachi, on September 20. 

The new solitary fatality was reported from Badin which has registered a total 12 COVID-19 deaths, while there are still 152 active patients in the district. Earlier, Badin had reported one death, along with Karachi (three deaths), on September 18. 

The district wise breakdown of new infection remained as: Karachi (225), Dadu (97), Tando Allahyar (7), Hyderabad (6), Thatta (5), Jamshoro (5), Badin (3), Sujawal (3), Matiari (3), Tando Mohammad Khan (3), Larkana (2), Mirpurkhas (1), Shaheed Benazirabad (1) and others. 

In the meantime, an official summary related to samplings done in different targeted areas revealed the highest rate of COVID-19 infection, two percent, was found among people visiting shrines and attending urs/mela (congregations).