KARACHI - As many as eight more patients of coronavirus died overnight lifting the death toll to 5,793 and 919 new cases emerged when 10,032 tests were conducted.
This was stated by Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah in a statement issued on Friday. He added that eight more patients of COVID-19 lost their lives lifting the death toll to 5,793 that constituted 1.6 percent death rate. Mr Shah said that 10,032 samples were tested which detected 919 cases that constituted 9.2 percent current detection rate. He added that so far 4,857,444 tests have been conducted against which 363,084 cases were diagnosed, of them 88.8 percent or 321,418 patients have recovered, including 489 overnight.
The CM said that currently 34,873 patients were under treatment, of them 33,670 were in home isolation, 69 at isolation centres and 1,134 at different hospitals. He added that the condition of 1,052 patients was stated to be critical, including 76 shifted to ventilators. According to the statement, out of 919 new cases, 673 have been detected from Karachi, including 363 from East, 118 South, 73 Korangi, 71 Central, 34 Malir and West 14. Sanghar has 37, Hyderabad 32, Badin 17, Thatta 16, Umerkot 15, Mirpurkhas 14, Nausheroferoze nine, Jamshoro and Tharparkar seven each, Kashmore and Khairpur four each, Shaheed Benazirabad and Shikarpur two each, Sukkur one. Murad Ali Shah urged people to abide by the SOPs issued by the government. 
Sindh wants to block 
SIM cards of 
unvaccinated people
Sindh has decided to write a letter to the NCOC and PTA to block SIM cards of people refusing to get vaccinated. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that the mobile phone SIM cards of people who do not get vaccinated within a week should be blocked. The government is also considering stricter controls such as withholding the salaries of government employees who do not get inoculated from next month.
The minister has asked the finance secretary to contact the Attorney General of Sindh as well.
The government has stressed vaccinations after cases of the Delta variant emerged in the country.