First corona positive reported from Haripur

HARIPUR: The Haripur district has recorded the first corona positive cases while the number of suspects has risen to 25, official sources informed here on Sunday.

According to Dr Sher Bahadur incharge Rapid Response Team of Hariupr health department, the woman identified as Mehvish Iqabl daughter of Shekh Muhammad Iqbal native of Muhallah Ilyasi Sector No 2 Khalabat Township, has returned from UK a few days back. The woman, according to Dr Sher Bahadur had visited PIMS Hospital in Islamabad on March 18 and remained quarantined for a few days.

The PIMS administration, according to official, collected her throat swab and sent to NIH for analysis and the NIH’s report issued on March 23 tested her corona positive but she returned to her home and self quarantined her two days back. The district administration in the meanwhile received information of her travel history and approached the woman who initially refused that she was positive but as precautionary measure the administration sprayed the street and surrounding areas of her home and asked the residents of areas to observe social distancing from the family and approached the NIH from where it was confirmed that she was Covid-19 positive. He said that the throat swabs of eight members of her family including the driver with whom she traveled between Haripur and Islamabad, have been obtained and sent to NIH for further analysis. He said that the area has been cordoned off and police deployed for ensuring that the family has no social contact with the residents of surrounding areas and their other family members. He said that the DC Haripur has also imposed ban on the movement of people of that very street and asked the residents of Khalabat Township to avoid accessing the street the woman was isolated. About the reports of Dr Jehnagir Khan a medical specialist, from Abbottabad who used to run a private hospital in Haripur till a few days back, Dr Sher Bahadur confirmed that he also received information that Dr Jehangir has been tested corona positive from a private laboratory in Abbottabad. He told that since Dr Jehangir was resident of district Abbottabad and used to go back to his home daily, however his six staff members from Haripur have been home quarantined and their throat swabs sent to NIH for further analysis. He informed that the number of total suspects have risen to 25 out of which 7 cases have tested negative while the result of remaining was awaited.