Qamar Zaman Kaira tested positive for Covid-19
;ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has tested positive for the novel coronavirus; while he was on the campaign trail for the upcoming polls in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). According to family sources, the PPP leader has reached Islamabad from G-B and has quarantined himself for 15 days.
Kaira complained of a sore throat and a cold over the past few days. He was tested for Covid-19 as a precautionary measure. He was accompanying part chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Reportedly, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz’s (PML-N) leader Captain (retd) Safdar Awan had also tested positive for Covid-19. He was also involved in campaigning for his party for the upcoming polls and was accompanying party vice-president and wife Maryam Nawaz.
He has returned to Lahore and has been reportedly shifted to Sharif Medical City; and his condition is reported as stable. Earlier today, NCOC warned that the positivity ratio of Covid-19 had increased to 4.5pc across the country; with a rapid increase in 15 major cities.
During a meeting held today, the NCOC – the nerve center of the government’s unified efforts to stem Covid-19 spread – observed that Hyderabad had the highest positivity ration at 16.69pc, followed by Gilgit at 15.38pc, Multan at 15.97pc, Muzafarabad at 14.12pc, Mirpur at 11.11pc, Peshawar with 9.69pc, Quetta with 8.03pc, Islamabad with 7.48pc, Karachi with 7.12pc, Lahore with 5.37pc and Rawalpindi with 4.63pc.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday observed that the Covid-19 positivity ratio is rapidly increasing in major cities, with the rate exceeding 15 percent in at least three cities across the country.
According to a press release issued by the NCOC, the forum held a morning session; and discussed in length the recent surge in the positivity ratio.
“The overall nationwide positivity ratio is 4.5 percent [while] 15 major cities across the country have a higher ratio,” the statement said.
