Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Ajmal Wazir Khan revealed on Saturday that the provincial government had increased its coronavirus testing capabilities to ensure 500 persons can be tested for the virus each day.
Speaking at a news conference, he confirmed the death of a woman from Dir district, saying that her coronavirus test result came back positive after her demise.
"As of now, there are 180 positive coronavirus cases in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. Tests of 195 persons came back negative while 345 results are pending," said Wazir.
The chief minister's advisor paid tribute to the doctors and medical staff for fighting the pandemic at great risk to their own safety. He said that the provincial government had allocated Rs8 billion to buy medical equipment for health officials who were at the forefront in the war against coronavirus.
Wazir warned people from hoarding or smuggling food during this crisis. He said that in a meeting with the chief minister, it was decided by the provincial government to take strict action against hoarders and profiteers.
"Commissioners and deputy commissioners should ensure supply of basic food items remains uninterrupted," he said, adding that the KO government had allocated Rs32 billion to fight the coronavirus.
He said that coronavirus tests will be carried out in cooperation with Pakistan Army in Dir and DI Khan districts as well.
The pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world as it has infected more than 600,000 people across the globe ever since the infection was reported in December 2019.
More than 25,000 lives have been lost to the coronavirus as governments struggle to cope with the crisis. The countries with the most deaths include Italy with 8,165 deaths out of 80,539 declared infections, Spain with 4,089 deaths out of 56,188 cases, mainland China with 3,295 deaths out of 81,285 cases, Iran with 2,234 deaths out of 29,406 cases, and France with 1,696 fatalities out of 29,155 cases.
So far, the virus has affected more than 1,400 people in Pakistan and caused 11 deaths.
