No decision taken yet on lockdown in Sindh: Saeed Ghani

KARACHI: Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases in Sindh, especially Karachi, Minister for Information Sindh Saeed Ghani on Saturday said that no decision has been taken yet on the imposition of a lockdown in the province.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Ghani said that  the pressure on hospitals was "not as bad" as it was seen during the previous waves of the pandemic.

He said that the provincial government has "upgraded" hospitals and people have been vaccinated.

The Sindh government has banned indoor dining in Karachi and Hyderabad.

An amended notification issued by Home Department on Friday stated that all indoor gatherings, events and dining have been restricted in Karachi and Hyderabad till February 15.

However, outdoor events are allowed with a maximum of 300 fully vaccinated guests.

Pakistan logs  over 6,500 daily COVID-19 infections

More than 1,000 patients infected with coronavirus have been shifted to critical care across Pakistan, according to official figures, as the COVID situation worsens due to the Omicron variant.

The number of patients on critical care hit 1,055, up from 961 a day earlier, after the condition of 94 worsened in the last 24 hours, data from the the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed.

According to the data, the positivity ratio stood at 11.10%, down from 12.93% a day earlier, with 6,540 infections reported across the country after 58,902 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.