KP reports 1,035 corona cases in one day as 19 more die of Covid-19

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday reported 1035 positive cases of coronavirus, which is the highest number of people diagnosed with the viral infection in a single day as 19 people died from the deadly virus, raising the death toll to 661 in the province.

With these new cases, the number of positive cases in KP reached 17,450. However, according to officials of the provincial Health department, the number of infective people and those who have died from coronavirus outside hospitals was higher than official statistics. There is no place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the virus has not reached. According to the officials, almost 90 of the virus spread locally and infected a large number of people in the province.

Most of the hospitals in KP are flooded with patients suffering from serious health complications. Despite being in difficult situation, most of the people in KP are still in a state of denial to consider coronavirus a disease. The criminal role is being played by some of the religious political leaders by giving controversial comments or delivering speeches on funerals and Friday sermons asking people not to believe in what the government is saying.

They statements are given importance by people, though most of the people making comments on critical health issues like coronavirus have no knowledge about health and medical education. The lockdown is not properly implemented due to a host of issues and in most cases, people themselves are infecting each other as they deal with Covid-19 patients in their home and family like other patients suffering from other diseases. Of 19 people died of coronavirus, five were reported from Peshawar, four Nowshera, two each from Kohat and Orakzai, and one each from Hangu, Malakand, Lower Dir, Mardan, Mohmand and Battagram.

In KP and in rest of the country, Peshawar district has suffered more human losses than any other place. In Peshawar, 340 people died of coronavirus so far. Swat with 54 human losses is second to Peshawar. And Peshawar reported 328 positive cases on Saturday, the highest number of positive cases reported in a single day.

It has so far reported 6179 positive cases. Dir Lower was second to Peshawar where 115 people were tested positive for Covid-19, the highest number of people diagnosed with the viral infection in a single day. In Lower Dir, 760 people had been diagnosed with the virus so far.

And Malakand district reported 111 positive cases, also the highest number people tested positive for the viral infection in a single day.

Swat repotted 67 positive cases, Kohat 55, Nowshera 44, Mardan 43, Abbottabad 30, Mansehra 28, Charsadda 24, Dir Upper 19, Bajaur 18, Buner and Swabi 15 each, Khyber 13, Bannu 12, and 10 cases each were reported from Karak and Haripur.

Besides these cases, 27 positive cases were reported from international flights. Meanwhile, Medical Director Mardan Medical Complex (HMC), Prof Mukhtar Ali recovered from coronavirus and started attending his office. He and some other senior doctors in MMC had contracted the virus two weeks ago. Prof Mukhtar Ali had isolated himself and he was tested negative on Saturday.

“Don’t aka me how I spent these two weeks in isolation. But by the grace of Allah and prayers of my family, relatives, colleagues and friends, I have recovered and started serving the patients,” Prof Mukhtar Ali told The News. In KP, MMC had received the first corona patients from Manga village, when a local Saadat Khan returned from umra had contracted the virus during his stay in Saudi Arabia and infected many people, including his family members and relatives. He was the first person who died from coronavirus in the country.