The novel coronavirus cases in Sindh have topped 31,000 after 1,439 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that 5,454 tests were conducted, out of which 1,439 came back positive, taking the tally of confirmed cases to 31,086.

The province has also reported 23 more deaths, taking the total fatalities to 526. The chief minister said that 358 patients are in critical condition while 64 are on ventilators. He added that 953 people recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours.

On the other hand, Sindh Government spokesperson Senator Murtaza Wahab has revealed that the number of female patients of the novel coronavirus has increased after relaxations in lockdown were introduced ahead of Eid ul Fitr.

He said that earlier, 33 patients out of every 100 were women. Now, the percentage of women being infected has gone up to 28.5pc in the past 10 days.

He further said that even though schools across Sindh have been closed since February, 1,148 children have so far tested positive for the virus. Addressing the perception that the virus does not pose a serious risk to young people, Wahab said that children under the age of 10 were also among those who had succumbed to Covid-19.

“They were our children who had probably been indoors but [were infected] because protective measures were not taken in their houses.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan reported its most number of fatalities for 24 hours with 88 new deaths.

Complete Lockdown on Saturday and Sunday:

Earlier Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that there will be a complete lockdown across the country on Saturday and Sunday.