GB government retracts statement on patient dying from coronavirus

The Gilgit-Baltistan government on Wednesday retracted an earlier statement about the death of a patient suffering from the coronavirus, saying that the man had instead died of kidney complications and pneumonia. 

Gilgit Baltistan government media coordinator Rasheed Arshad said that the provincial spokesperson had broken the news about the patient before confirming it first. 

Multiple news channels had earlier reported about Pakistan's first coronavirus patient dying when GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq confirmed that a 90-year-old man passed away from the infection. 

Faraq had said that it seemed to be a case of secondary transmission of the virus as the patient did not have any travel history. 

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had earlier tweeted that there was no confirmation of any coronavirus-related death in Pakistan.

"I can confirm that until now there is no corona related death in Pakistan," he had tweeted. "Geo report about a death in GB is incorrect. The corona virus test of the patient is -ve. I request media reporters that in rush to break the news first, please don’t misreport. Check your facts twice."