Former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh tests positive for Covid-19

Former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Minister of Industries and Finance Hammad Azhar said in a tweet on Tuesday.

In his tweet, Azhar wished Sheikh a speedy recovery and prayed for his good health.

Sheikh served as the federal minister for finance and revenue affairs from December 11, 2020, to March 29, 2021. He has also previously served as an advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on finance and revenue from April 2019 to December 2020.

Shiekh was removed as finance minister on March 29, 2021, after a cabinet reshuffle was announced by the premier, and was replaced by Hammad Azhar.

Also Read: Hammad Azhar notified as finance minister

President Arif Alvi and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak also tested positive for Covid-19 a day earlier, just a day after officials announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan is making a a steady recovery from the infection.

“I have tested positive for Covid-19. May Allah have mercy on all Covid affectees. Had 1st dose of the vaccine but antibodies start developing after 2nd dose that was due in a week. Please continue to be careful,” the president said in his tweet.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also tested positive for Covid-19 on March 20, two days after receiving the first dose of Covid vaccine. According to Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, Imran had made steady clinical recovery from Covid.

At least 100 more people lost their lives to COVID-19 during the past 24 hours—the highest since December last year.

According to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Punjab witnessed the most deaths during the period, totalling 73, followed by 18 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, four in Sindh, two each in Islamabad and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and one in Balochistan.

As many as 46,566 people have been tested for Covid-19 since Monday, of which 4,084 tested positive for the virus..