Spokesperson of the Sindh government MurtazaWahabsaid on Saturday that 198 patients of coronavirus are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the province. In a tweet, MurtazaWahab said that out of 198 patients, 55 have been put on ventilators, while 149 people are being provided oxygen. “In Sindh, there are 198 COVID19 patients in the Intensive Care Unit today. Out of these, 55 are on the ventilator. There are also 149 patients on breathing support at HDUs. These numbers have risen sharply since everything was allowed to be opened 2 weeks ago,” he tweeted. The numbers has soared sharply since everything was allowed to be opened 2 weeks ago. 1,353 new infections emerged within the 24 hours and 40 deaths were occurred due to COVID-19 which is the highest figure as compared to the previously recorded statistics. “The federal government, unfortunately, did not take the lead like it was supposed to,” Wahab said. “The government of Sindh tried engaging with the federal government and put forth recommendations to it and the provincial governments but the response was unfortunately not what we were expecting. “Border control is the federal government’s responsibility, not the provinces’,” he added. “It was the federal government that was responsible to monitor and quarantine the zaireen [pilgrims from Iran].” Explaining lockdowns, he said it did not mean banning essential items but offered to step up once again to help explain what was required. “If the entire country decides today to regulate [a lockdown], we, the Sindh govtt. can explain and guide in detail what categories are exempted,” the senator noted, adding that although only train operations were suspended on the centre’s orders, it was the provincial leadership that chose to halt interprovincial travelling and public transport on the provincial borders.
