Coronavirus found in KP housing minister

Another high profile person in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was infected by the coronavirus as provincial housing minister Dr Amjad Ali tested positive, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Thursday.

The news was shared by the minister in a tweet, as he said he had been visiting the quarantine centres and hospitals during the lockdown.

میرا کورونا وائرس کا ٹیسٹ مثبت آیا ہے۔میں نے خود کو اپنے گھر میں قرنطینہ کر لیا ہے۔

میری پوری قوم سے درخواست ہے کہ وہ احتیاط کریں، اور گھروں میں رہیں۔

مجھے افسوس اس بات پر ہو گا کہ میں کچھ دنوں کے لیے عوام کی خدمت نہیں کر سکوں گا, دعا کی اپیل

— Dr Amjad Ali (@DrAmjadAli_PTI) May 6, 2020

He opted for the test after showing symptoms including cough and fever, Amjad said, adding that he had been in isolation for the last four days.

The provincial minister requested the people for prayers for his early recovery as he also shared a video on social media.

The number of coronavirus cases are on the rise in province with the latest figures showing that the virus has been found in a total of 3,712 people.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also tops the list when it comes to deaths with 203 patients dying of the virus while a large number of healthcare professionals have also been infected across the province.

The PTI government has been facing severe criticism because of low testing rate. But Health Minister Taimur Jhagra in tweet on Wednesday said they were ramping up the process.

1. KP Corona Testing Update.
1422 tests conducted in KP yesterday going beyond the 1338 peak done three days ago. Insha'Allah we are scaling up continuously. 2,000 is the next target, and we are aiming to do 5,000+ tests a day. Great to see testing ramp up in our secondary labs. pic.twitter.com/y0Z9GKF0yV

— Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) May 6, 2020

He said 1,422 tests were conducted on Wednesday and their next target was 2,000 per day which would be gradually increased to 5,000.