Alarm raised as 3% Covid positivity reported in Sindh

KARACHI, June 22: Health authorities and doctors have raised alarm over the rising positivity ratio of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, particularly in Karachi where some 57 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours with a positivity ratio of 8.04%. Doctors have expressed the fear that unless arrested through emergency measures, the rising positivity ratio could lead to an overloading of hospitals soon. Data released by the national and Sindh health authorities showed that as many as 5,361 people have tested for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours of which 102 have tested positive with an overall positivity ratio of 1.9%. Of the new cases, the document showed that most patients were tested in Lahore with 1,388 of which 19 people tested positive, putting a positivity ratio at 1.37%. It was followed by Islamabad, where 971 tests were conducted of which 20 returned as positive, with a positivity ratio of 2.06%. Karachi was third with 709 people tested but 57 people were confirmed as Covid-19 positive. The city’s positivity ratio stood at 8.04%. With cases being confirmed in both Karachi and Hyderabad, the health officials have raised an alarm.- NNI