PESHAWAR: Four more people died of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday taking the total number of fatalities to 92.

The province also witnessed the highest single-day increase in virus cases with 85 new confirmed patients taking the tally to 1,793.

Among those killed by Covid-19 was Prof Mohammad Javed, an ENT surgeon at the Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, who breathed his last after remaining admitted to an intensive care unit for a week.

Also in the day, MNA from Kurram tribal district Munir Orakzai and special assistant to the chief minister on local government Kamran Bangash tested positive for the virus and were isolated at home.

HMC surgeon dies of Covid-19, while MNA, CM’s aide among 86 new cases

According to a health department report, 13 patients recovered from the infection in the province during the last 24 hours taking the tally of such local cases to 485.

All the four new Covid-19 fatalities were reported in Peshawar, which has so far recorded 48 deaths, which make six per cent of the nationwide tally of 261.

The case fatality rate (CFR) in the province is 5.2pc against the national rate of 2.1pc.

Peshawar accounts for 511 active cases with 66 fresh patients during the last 24 hours.

The virus is prevalent in all seven divisions of the province with Peshawar and Mardan being the worst hit.

Swat has recorded 11 coronavirus deaths, which make three per cent of the countrywide fatalities.

Peshawar and Swat are among 10 districts with high fatalities in the country.

According to a World Health Organisation report, 131,356 nationwide Covid-19 tests put the number of tests carried out in one million population at 629.

KP has conducted 11,963 tests (392 per one million population), AJK 1,471 (364 per million), Balochistan 6,504 (527 per million), Sindh 33,028 (690 per million), Punjab 67,882 (617 per million), Gilgit-Baltistan 2,998 (1,561 per million) and Islamabad 7,519 (3,747 per million).

The report said 79pc of KP’s cases were of local transmission and 21pc imported transmission, Sindh’s 87pc local and 13pc imported, Punjab’s 75pc local and 25pc imported, GB’s 43pc local and 53pc imported, Balochistan’s 76pc local and 24pc imported, Islamabad’s 92pc local and eight per cent imported and Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s 87pc local and 13pc imported transmission.

It added that 2,867 patients were admitted to the country’s hospitals and 2,756 of them were stable and 111 in critical condition, while 5,524 patients had been isolated at home.

According to the report, 2,527 patients have recovered from the infection, which has claimed 237 lives.

According to report, 80 per cent of deceased were above 51.

Covid-19 has infected 348 health workers, including four doctors. Four medics have died of the virus.

The WHO report said more than 50 health workers, including 35 doctors, had tested positive for the virus due to the admission of patients to hospitals.

Meanwhile, a special aircraft of the Pakistan International Airline with 250 Pakistanis reached the Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar from the United Arab Emirates on Friday night. The passengers were shifted to quarantine centres established in a local hotel and newly-constructed apartments in Shahi Bala area.

Of them, 245 were screened for the virus at the Durranpur quarantine centre. Sixty-six of them tested positive and 145 negative, while the test results of 11 are awaited.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2020