KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the month of May in terms of detection of new coronavirus cases, deaths of patients and plane crash proved to be the heaviest and worth month as far as loss of human life was concerned.

In a statement issued from the CM House on Sunday, the chief minister said during the last 24 hours, 4100 tests were conducted which detected 885 new cases.

“This means our detection ratio comes to 21.6 percent which is again the highest than various countries,” he said and added that so far we have conducted 180,803 tests which diagnosed 28245 cases which constituted 15.6 percent of the total tests.

He said that that deaths stemming from coronavirus started from March 19 when first patient died.

The month of March claimed nine lives, April 109 and May, the first worst so far, claimed 363 lives. In this way, corona has claimed 481 valuable lives, including 16 on its last day, March 31.

He added that apart from coronavirus, we lost 97 lives in plane crash again in the month of May (22). “In this way, we have lost 515 lives in May alone,” he said with heavy heart and prayed for the departed souls and recovery of the bereaved families from the pain.

Talking about deaths, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that 16 more patients died during the last 24 hours lifting the death toll to 481 which constituted 1.7 percent mortality rate. “Our 334 patients or 31 percent of the total patients are in critical condition, of them 62 are on ventilators,” he said.

He said at present 13954 patients were under treatment, of them 12773 at their homes, 108 at Isolation Centers and 1073 at different hospitals.

The CM said that 553 more patients were cured and returned to their normal lives. “I am glad to disclose that 13810 patients or 49 of the total patients have recovered and leading normal life,” he said.

Giving district wise-figure, Syed Murad Ali Mr Shah said that out of 885 new cases in Sindh, 617 cases belonged to Karachi. They include 184 to East, 146 South, 127 central, Korangi 27, Malir 46 and West 41.

He said Sukkur has 37 cases, Khairpur 34, Ghotki 27, Hyderabad 25, Larkana 24, Jacobabad 24, Shikarpur 16, eight each in Jamshoro and Sanghar, Mirpurkhas five, Kambar and Badin three each, Shaheed Benazirabad two, Matiari, Dadu, Tando Allahyar and Tando Mohammad Khan have on each.

The chief minister said that the local transmission in rural areas was also increasing. “The threat [of local transmission] is quite dangerous because it spreads exponentially and we have to contain it by observing social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding social gathering,” he said.

According to the CM Sindh, 34 flight right April 18 to May 28, brought 6378 stranded Pakistanis back to Karachi, of them 1208 were infected. “We took proper care of the stranded Pakistanis and kept them in isolation and started discharging those who went on recovering,” he said.

Sharing the data of plane crash in Karachi, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that out 97 bodies, 75 have been identified and handed over to their heirs. Now, eight bodies were in the mortuary of Chippa and 14 at Edhi.

He said that the process of matching the DNAs was in progress and the bodies, after their identifications were being handed over to their families.