Murad orders random testing to check quantum of Covid-19 exposure.

Byline: Tahir Siddiqui

KARACHI -- Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed the health department to start random testing of people at grocery and vegetable shops so that local spread of coronavirus could be checked and contained.

In a video message released from the CM House, he said that cases of local spread were increasing equally in urban and rural areas.

He added that a villager recently visited Hyderabad and got himself infected there. 'When he returned to his village he infected others. We checked his 30 relatives/connections, of them nine were infected by him.'

The CM said that he had decided to start random testing at grocery shops, vegetable shops and other such places where people frequently go.

He said that the random checking was aimed at monitoring the local spread so that a new strategy could be formulated to contain the virus further.

People visiting grocery, vegetable shops will be randomly selected for testing; nine more patients die in Sindh due to coronavirus

'I have issued the directive and hope that the people will cooperate with the field staff of our labs,' he said.

451 new cases in Sindh

Sharing the situation report of coronavirus, the CM said that 3,671 samples were tested overnight and 451 of them, or 12.3 per cent of the total tests, were diagnosed positive.

He said nine more people lost their lives while struggling against the infection.

He said that the number of tests conducted so far came to 72,544 against which 8,640 tested positive.

He said that a total of 157 patients, or 1.8pc of the total patients, had died so far due to the coronavirus.

'Yes, we have good news also that 60 more patients have been cured and discharged and now the number of patients who defeated the virus and recovered has reached 1,731, which is 20 per cent,' he said.

He said that 5,528 patients, or 82pc of the patients, were in home isolation, 721, or 10pc, were at isolation centres and 503 were at different hospitals.

He added that 89 patients were in critical condition and 14 of them were on ventilators.

The chief minister said that out of 451 new cases 327 cases belonged to Karachi - 68 in Central, 74 in East, 25 in Korangi, 26 in Malir, 87 in South and 47 cases in West.

He added that 24 new cases were diagnosed in Shikarpur, 19 in Sukkur, seven in Larkana, five in Hyderabad, four in Sujawal, three in Ghotki, two in Sanghar and one each in Matiari, Mirpurkhas and Dadu.

The chief minister said that the inquiry ordered...