NCOC chief Asad Umar tested positive for corona

ISLAMABAD: Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, he confirmed on Friday.

"Just got my COVID test result and it is positive," Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), Pakistan's coronavirus-monitoring body, wrote on Twitter.

"Will be isolating at home."

Pakistan's coronavirus positivity rate, as of reporting time, is 7.59 percent, with close to 3,000 new infections and 84 deaths reported over the past 24 hours. The total tally of cases stands at 451,494.

Geo News senior anchorperson and renowned Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir wished the minister a "fast recovery". "May Allah give fast recovery to you and all #Covid_19 patients best of luck," Mir wrote.