PESHAWAR: Amid strict lockdown, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday reported 57 fresh cases of coronavirus as the total number of patients rose to 181. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) Member Provincial Assembly, Abdul Salam Afridi was among the patients as he tested positive for coronavirus. His constituency in Mardan district include Manga village, which is the worst affected place in the province with more than 40 coronavirus cases. Afridi had reportedly visited Manga recently and contracted the disease. The KP Health Department released the list of 57 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.As many as 34 of them belonged to Mardan. And in Mardan, the majority of the patients hailed from Manga Union Council, where the virus is believed to have spread to the villagers from one Saadat Khan, who had hosted a feast upon his return home and met the villagers and his other guests.
He is believed to have contracted the virus during his stay in Saudi Arabia.
Saadat Khan died last week, becoming the first patient in Pakistan to die from coronavirus.
According to sources, his wife, son and daughter-in-law along with two other villagers, Haji Alamzeb Khan and Kamaluddin, accompanied him on the trip for performing Umrah.
Saadat Khan’s family members have now recovered and have been shifted to the quarantine centres in Mardan.
Two other patients have also recovered and discharged from the hospital.
According to officials, Manga still poses serious threat to population of the entire district as well as nearby Charsadda as some of the villagers, suspected to be infected, disappeared to avoid 14-day stay in quarantine centre.
Despite the serious potential threat, the district administration could not manage to properly enforce the lockdown announced by the provincial government a week ago.
It was expected that Mardan district administration will not allow the faithfulto offerthe Friday prayers in mosques in large numbers to prevent spread of the virus.
Despite heavy rain and threat of coronavirus, the faithful in all the places in Mardan offered congregational prayers with attendance less than normal but still significant.
Peshawar on Friday reported five positive cases, Buner four and three each in Nowshera and Swabi.
Besides, 100 suspected patients were admitted to different hospitals in the province.
The KP government is worried about the expected rise in the number of the positive coronavirus cases in the coming days as the results of 345 patients are still awaited.