HYDERABAD: Three more patients have died of COVID-19 here on Monday, taking the tally to 172 in the district while 23 more cases were reported positive during the last 24 hours.

According to health authorities, Nazeer s/o Muhammad Bux, 60 resident of KN Shah, Jan Muhammad s/o Muhammad Khan, 65 resident of Matiari and Muhammad Soomar s/o Mithal, 50 resident of Umerkot succumbed to COVID-19 at LU hospital Hyderabad while 23 new cases have also been reported as positive in the Hyderabad district.

The dead bodies of the deceased were handed over to the heirs as per COVID-19 SOPs.

The district administration had extended smart lockdown for ten more days in 10 hotspot areas of district Hyderabad from December 19 to December 28 and all notified areas were sealed.

Out of total COVID-19 active patients, 44 are admitted in LU hospitals Hyderabad and Jasmhoro while rest of them are isolated at their homes, officials added.

The Deputy Commissioner Fuad Ghaffar Soomro urged the people to adopt standard operating procedures (SOPs) as preventive measures to curb the contagion as prevention was the only way to contain it from spreading further.

Local administration has already launched awareness campaigns in different areas through announcements made through loudspeakers for implementation of SOPs to contain COVID-19 spread while "Million Mask Programme was also started in Hyderabad to provide surgical face masks to the general public as a preventive measure.