PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 16 more deaths due to Covid-19 on Monday as the province-wide number of people died of the infectious ailment reached 334, the highest fatalities reported by any province so far.

Peshawar, the provincial capital, registered 12 new deaths due to the pandemic, making its overall tally of casualties 199, which is highest by any city in the country. One person died each in Swabi, Swat, Dir and Dera Ismail Khan, according to daily Covid-19 situation report released by health department on Monday.

Awami National Party leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour also tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement. The veteran leader appealed to people to pray for him.

“I have been tested positive for Covid-19. I have been isolated myself at home and request prayers,” Mr Bilour, a former federal minister, tweeted.

16 more die of Covid-19 as death toll reaches 334; ANP’s Ghulam Bilour tests positive for virus

The number of infected patients in the province reached 6,230 as 169 more tested positive for the sickness. Swat recorded 31 of the new cases. The district has also recorded 29 deaths and is second in the list of province-wide fatalities after Peshawar.

According to the report, Dir Lower recorded 25 cases, taking its total tally of patients to 179 while Peshawar recorded 14 cases, making its overall count of confirmed patients 2412, the highest in the province.

Charsadda reported eight new patients as the number of its total confirmed patients reached 116 while cases in Nowshera reached 147 with three more patients, the report said. Nine more patients tested positive in Swabi, taking its total count to 84.

Cases in Malakand reached 309 with 13 more positive patients. It has also recorded eight deaths due to the virus.

Of the freshly confirmed cases, 41 are from quarantine centres where people coming from abroad are staying. Bulk of the cases and deaths are being reported by Peshawar, Mardan and Malakand divisions, which have large population respectively.

Meanwhile, according to available data, the case fatality rate (CFR) in Pakistan is 2.14 per cent compared to Sunday’s 2.17 per cent. The CFR in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 5.36 per cent compared to Sunday’s 5.24 per cent, the most in the country so far.

The CFR has slightly decreased in the country as compared to Sunday but it has again increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Peshawar.

Pakistan has reported 30 deaths due to the pandemic during the last 24 hours including 16 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has contributed 53 per cent to the total deaths occurred in the country during the last 24 hours. Peshawar alone has contributed 12 deaths to the overall fatalities occurred in the country.

Peshawar accounted for 40 per cent of the total deaths occurred in the country during the last 24 hours. It shows that situation is continuously worse in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general and in Peshawar in particular.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2020