Health authorities and doctors have raised alarm over the rising positivity ratio of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, particularly in Karachi where some 57 cases were confirmed on Wednesday with a positivity ratio of 8.04%.
Doctors have expressed the fear that unless arrested through emergency measures, the rising positivity ratio could lead to an overloading of hospitals soon. Data released by the national and Sindh health authorities showed that as many as 5,361 people have tested for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours of which 102 have tested positive with an overall positivity ratio of 1.9%. Of the new cases, the document showed that most patients were tested in Lahore with 1,388 of which 19 people tested positive, putting a positivity ratio at 1.37%. It was followed by Islamabad, where 971 tests were conducted of which 20 returned as positive, with a positivity ratio of 2.06%. Karachi was third with 709 people tested but 57 people were confirmed as Covid-19 positive. The city’s positivity ratio stood at 8.04%. With cases being confirmed in both Karachi and Hyderabad, the health officials have raised an alarm.
A letter from the Aga Khan University Hospital issued on Tuesday noted that the positivity ratio for Covid-19 tests at their lab were exceeding 30%. It added that hospital admissions for Covid-19 were also increasing with a localised outbreak on the campus. Based on this the hospital has once again made it mandatory to wear masks in all indoor spaces while also recommending masks for outdoor spaces, especially where social distancing cannot be maintained. Moreover, the university made a second booster – comprising mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) – mandatory for all students and staff. Further restrictions include half capacity for sports and recreation, with only active players exempt from wearing masks. Late on Tuesday, doctors aligned under the national body Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) expressed concerns over the rise in Covid-19 cases across the country in general and in Karachi and Hyderabad in particular where they said the positivity ratio was 10.08% and 16.67% consecutively. They noted that the positivity ratio was rising in Islamabad and other cities as well.
