Another Covid-19 patient dies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Wazir dismisses talk of flour shortage, says compensation packages approved

PESHAWAR: The province on Sunday lost the fifth person to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), as the number of positive patients increased by four to 192.

The provincial government, meanwhile, dismissed rumours of another flour shortage in the province.

A bulletin released by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provincial health department on the microblogging site Twitter on Sunday said that the toll of confirmed coronavirus patients in the province had increased to 192 after four new cases were reported including one each from Lower Dir and Abbottabad and two from the provincial capital of Peshawar.

The Covid-19 fatality reported on Sunday was identified as Major (retired) Muhammad Ilyas. He was among the three Covid-19 positive patients in Abbottabad.

Health officials said that Ilyas was a resident of the Makki neighbourhood in the Khola Kehal area of Abbottabad. He had tested positive for Covid-19 after a member of the Tableeghi Jamaat from Turkmenistan visited him at his home two weeks ago. He was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Abbottabad three days ago where breathed his last.

Local authorities have disinfected Ilyas’ house and the entire neighbourhood, while a special squad of the health department conducted his burial. He received a Tablighi Jammat from Turkmenistan at his home two weeks back and went with them in a mosque in Narian, He was admitted in CMH

Abbottabad District Health Officer Dr Faisal Khanzada expressed worry over the movement and influx of public in Abbottabad, warning that the district can become a cluster for Covid-19.

Suspected Covid-19 patient dies

Meanwhile, a suspected Covid-19 patient died on Sunday at the quarantine centre set up in the Gomal Medical College.

The deceased was identified as Abdul Hamid, though the exact cause of his death has yet to be ascertained while results of his swab samples are awaited.

Meanwhile, DI Khan district health officer, in a letter, requested the provincial health department to expedite the tests of suspected Covid-19 patients who had been waiting for the results for the past week. A source in the DI Khan district health officials said that on March 19, several coronavirus suspected patients had been admitted to isolation wards. Of these, four had tested negative for the virus and were discharged, while test results for the remaining patients are still awaited.

The source added that at least 159 of the 241 pilgrims who are interned at the Gomal Medical College quarantine centre are waiting for test results despite having spent over 15 days in isolation — more than the incubation period of the virus.

Haripur Covid-19 patient still at home

A female British national of Pakistani origin who had tested positive for Covid-19 at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (Pims) in Islamabad, has self-isolated at her house in Kalabut area of Haripur. A local familiar with the development said that the woman had arrived on March 22 and displayed symptoms of Covid-19. She was taken to Pims where she tested positive.

However, she allegedly hid the test results and went her home to other family members. When the local authorities learnt about this, they sealed the entire neighbourhood and disinfected the area.

K-P extends public holidays

The provincial government on Sunday extended public holidays across the province until April 5. All inter-district and intra-district public transport will also remain suspended until then.

The relief, rehabilitation and settlement department has issued three separate notifications which said that public offices will remain closed until April 5.

Only offices of the industries, agriculture, public health and engineering, labour, information and local government will remain open.

No flour shortage

The Adviser to the K-P Chief Minister on Information Ajmal Wazir on Sunday rejected reports about a flour shortage in the province, while he said that a compensation package for frontline workers has been approved by the government.

Meanwhile, the number of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the province rose by four to 192.

Addressing the media via video link at the Civil Secretariat in the provincial capital on Sunday, the adviser said that the province has around 80,000 tonnes of wheat, which was enough to last until May this year.

Wazir went on to announce a special financial package for the frontline workers who are fighting against the coronavirus. He added the provincial government will provide financial assistance to the families of any government employees who die from Covid-19.

Assuring that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government was taking serious steps to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, Wazir said that they are distributing protective equipment across the province, adding that at least 0.271 million face masks have been distributed by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in the various districts of the province so far. Further, around 2,000 litres of hand sanitisers have also been distributed amongst the public through civil defence volunteers.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2020.