Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday said the provincial government has decided to follow all the decisions taken by the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) regarding further relaxation in Covid-related restrictions.
During a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Covid-19 held at the CM House, Shah showed displeasure at the fact that the number of people dying of Covid-19 still high. Despite this, the chief minister said that the Sindh government has decided to follow the NCOC’s instructions regarding the reopening of indoor dining and businesses. The provincial task force also endorsed the reopening of shrines, amusement parks, gyms and swimming pools.
Secretary of Health Kazim Jatoi also apprised the meeting on the latest Covid-19 statistics for Sindh and said that the ratio of infections has dropped further. He said that 14,052 tests were conducted on June 27, resulting in 521, or 3.71 per cent, positive cases.
On that day 7.54 per cent cases were reported in Karachi, of these 15 per cent cases and 18 deaths in the city’s District East, nine per cent cases and six deaths in District South, nine per cent cases and 11 deaths in District Korangi, nine per cent cases and 11 deaths in District West, eight per cent cases and three deaths in District Malir, and seven per cent cases and eight deaths in District Central.
The meeting was told that during this month 368 Covid patients have died, of these 208 (or 56.5 per cent) were on ventilators in hospitals, 83 (or 22.5 per cent) were off life support and 77 (or 21 per cent) were at home.
At this point, the chief executive mentioned that during the last month Sindh had reported 392 deaths, which meant that the ratio of deaths had not slipped down much.
The meeting was also informed that up till now, the Sindh government has received 4,175,997 doses of vaccines of six different brands, and of these 3,320,251 have been used. The federal government provides vaccines free of charge, and the provincial government bears the expenses of its logistics as well as of the expenses of the staff members concerned.
The CM directed the health department to expand the vaccination drive all over the province. The task force urged the chief executive to allow vaccination of the people who do not have a CNIC. On this, he directed the home department to consult with the NCOC.
Shah further said the NCOC’s next meeting would review the situation and may announce some more relaxation in the ongoing Covid-related restrictions. “We would follow their decisions to keep the policy uniform,” he concluded.
Ministers Saeed Ghani and Nasir Shah, CM’s adviser Murtaza Wahab, the parliamentary secretary on health, the Sindh and Karachi police chiefs, the additional chief secretary (home), CM’s principal secretary, the city commissioner, the school education secretary, the industries secretary, the special secretary (finance), WHO’s Dr Sara Khan, PMA’s Dr Qaiser Sajjad, and representatives of the V Corps and the Rangers were all in attendance.
