During the past 24 hours, the coronavirus positivity rate in the metropolis increased to 25.7 per cent, nearly five times the national rate of 5.25pc.
The Sindh government has said that the Covid-19 situation in the city is becoming serious, and warned people that ignoring precautionary measures during the three-day Eid holiday could make matters worse.”Government hospitals have reached saturation point, something not witnessed during previous waves, and even some private hospitals are refusing patients,” said DrQaiserSajjad, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association.”God have mercy on us as people are not taking this pandemic seriously. Such irresponsible behaviour on the Eid festival will make matters worse,” Sajjad told a news agency.
The Delta variant could spread during the holiday as people travel from cities like Karachi to their home towns.
According to the Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi, there is 92.2pc prevalence of the Delta variant in the city.
DrSeeminJamali, executive director of Jinnah Hospital said that 77 out of its 90 coronavirus beds were occupied and it was planned to add more.
“We did not face such a capacity situation during previous waves,” Jamali said. “The situation is getting pretty bad.”
The Eid holiday and upcoming elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on July 25 could prove to be super spreader events, as government and opposition are busy holding big public gatherings, the two doctors warned.
“The Delta variant is highly contagious and has spread across the city,” said Associate Professor DrIshtiaq Ahmed Khan at the Jamilur Rahman Centre for Genomics Research at KU.
He regretted public behaviour and said people were not taking the Delta variant seriously.
