KP CM’s focal person on Covid response tests positive

Ag Online

PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: A lawmaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, as the country recorded 1,579 cases and 52 deaths in a single day.

According to the KP Assembly Secretariat, MPA Asia Asad, the KP Chief Minister’s focal person for coronavirus, tested positive after which she isolated herself at home. It said Asad had been asked to adopt proper protective measures against Covid-19 at home. The MPA has also appealed to well-wishers to pray for her early recovery from the infection.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was informed that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had given emergency use authorisation of Sinopharm’s Covid vaccine for administration to those above 60 years of age.

As per the ongoing vaccination process, all registered healthcare workers with National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) above 60 years could get themselves vaccinated from designated Covid vaccine centres after this authorisation by the Drap, the NCOC said.

According to the latest update of the NCOC, 52 patients died during the 24 hours leading to Friday, 49 of whom were under treatment in hospitals. About 25 of the victims were on ventilators.

With 1,579 infections during the past 24 hours, the number of total coronavirus cases has soared to 587,014 in the country. Till now 259,164 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh; 175,051 in Punjab; 73,258 in KP; 19,097 in Balochistan; 45,078 in Islamabad; 10,409 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK); and 4,957 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

About 5,510 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab; 4,405 in Sindh; 2,099 in KP; 200 in Balochistan; 504 in Islamabad; 308 in AJK; and 102 in GB, taking the number of national fatalities to 13,128. Pakistan has so far conducted 9,135,393 coronavirus tests, including 37,998 during the past 24 hours. About 556,769 coronavirus patients, including 1,527 during the past 24 hours, have recovered in the country, whereas 1,551 patients were in critical condition. Some 1,991 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.