Journalist Gharidah Farooqi tests positive for COVID-19, goes into isolation

Gharidah tweeted that she had developed coronavirus symptoms two days ago and had gotten her self tested 'promptly'

By Web Desk
June 03, 2020

Anchorperson and journalist Gharidah Farooqi revealed on Wednesday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus and is now in self-quarantine.

The journalist tweeted that she had developed coronavirus symptoms two days ago and had gotten her self tested 'promptly', and the results revealed that she had contracted the virus.

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"Already in self-quarantine at home. The disease is real and it is no shame to contract it, report it, treat it rightly," said Farooqi, asking everyone to keep each other safe and and stay healthy.

So far, three media employees, including two at Radio Pakistan, have passed away due to the deadly coronavirus, reports published last week said.

Radio Pakistan senior broadcast engineer Muhammad Ashfaq and Urdu newscaster Huma Zafar died of the virus, the publication said in its report.

"Muhammad Ashfaq was a regular employee of Radio Pakistan and known for his competence and dedication to technical work. He had a very humble and friendly personality," it wrote.

"Huma Zafar was a contractual newsreader and had been reading national bulletins in CNO PBC for the last two decades. She was a well educated lady and did her PhD in Psychology from abroad.

"She was also attached with Waqar un Nisa Girls College Rawalpindi as a senior faculty member," it added.

Separately, 92 News journalist Fakhruddin Syed also succumbed to the deadly coronavirus earlier today in Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), the facility's director confirmed, adding that he had been under treatment there after his health deteriorated.

HMC spokesperson Toueed Zulfiqar told Dawn that Syed's "health condition improved" after being treated with plasma from recovered patients.

Over 150 journalists contracted virus

According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), three media persons have already died of the novel coronavirus and more than 150 others have contracted the deadly infection.

The PFUJ said photojournalists were at the highest risk from coronavirus.

Geo News' senior columnist Mazhar Abbas said earlier this month that 24 journalists, including three bureau chiefs, had contracted the infection in Quetta alone.

The latest development brings the total death toll of journalists who succumbed to the virus to six.

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