Sher Afzal
KARACHI: The Sindh government has established the largest Bio-safety Level -III (BSL-III) laboratory at International Center for Chemical and Biological Science, University of Karachi which a capacity of testing 2400 per day.
This was disclosed by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah through his video message released on Thursday from CM’s House. He said that national Institute of Virology known as International center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi had been transformed into a COVID-19 testing facility.
“For the purpose, BSL-III has been completed and equipped for the testing machines and housed with trained staff,” he said and added the initial capacity of the lab was testing 800 samples per day and within three weeks the capacity of the lab would be enhanced to 2400 tests per day.
The chief minister said that RNA extraction and RT-PCR kits were being provided to Director of the center Prof. Dr Iqbal Choudhry, for staring tests. “This is not only a big news but a good news and finally the government has established the largest testing facility in public sector,” Syed Murad Ali Shah said.
Speaking about the COVID-19 situation in Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that for the second consecutive day Karachi has produced more coronavirus cases particularly of social spread.
He said that 298 cases of coronavirus emerged when 3373 people were tested. “Out 298 cases 202 cases belong to Karachi and the worst affected districts are South, Central, Malir, East and Korangi,” he said. He added that 33,028 tests have been conducted against which 3671 cases have been diagnosed as positive. He said that four more patients succumbed to COVID-19 infection and the death toll so far has reached to 73 which is 1.98 percent of the total cases.
He added that 2934 patients were under treatment, of them 1871 were in home isolation, 649 at isolation Centers and 423 in different hospitals.
Talking about Karachi, Murad said that 202 cases had been detected in the city, including 67 in South, 79 Malir, 29 central, 25 East, Korangi 19 and six West.
At present District Central has 436 cases, East 491, Korangi 250, Malir 234, South 646 and West 273 cases. “In this way Karachi has 2330 coronavirus positive cases,” Shah said. Badin has 11 cases with two new cases, Dadu has 14 with two new cases, Ghotki has 122 with one new case, Hyderabad has 231 and no new case, Jacobad has nine case with no new case. Jamshoro has 14 cases with no new case, Qambar at Shahdadkot has only one case. Khairpur Mirs has 166 with new one case, Larkana has 86 with 11 new cases, Matiari has only one case.
Mirpurkhas has six cases, Naushehroferoze 19 with new five cases, Sanghar 19 with one new case, Shaheed Benazirabad 82 with 10 new cases, Shikarpur has only six cases. Sujawal has 11 cases with one new case, Sukkur has 363 with 25 new cases, Tando Allahyar has six cases, Tando Mohammad Khan has 33 cases. Tharparkar has only four cases, Thatta has four cases, Omarkot four and 14 cases are under tracking.
Murad sharing the data of stranded Pakistani return to Karachi were 913 and all were tested, as a result 98 passengers came positive and all of them have been put under treatment.
