LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday denied the Ministry of National Health’s report of the country’s first coronavirus death, urging the people to act responsibility during the “testing times”.
“We have received test reports of Imran Ali, who lost his life in Mayo Hospital, and his cause of death was not #COVID19. So far Punjab has 8 confirmed cases and are being provided best available treatment. I urge everyone that these are testing times & we should act responsibly..,” Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said in a tweet from his official handle.
We have received test reports of Imran Ali, who lost his life in Mayo Hospital, and his cause of death was not #COVID19
So far Punjab has 8 confirmed cases and are being provided best available treatment.
I urge everyone that these are testing times & we should act responsibly!
— Usman Buzdar (@UsmanAKBuzdar) March 17, 2020
The death was announced on a web portal the federal health ministry launched on Monday to keep a track of the spread of the virus.
The under-treatment patient was hospitalised in a health facility in the provincial capital of Lahore. Punjab, till now, has eight confirmed cases.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid had said the patient was brought to a hospital in a critical condition, and that he had a history of travelling from Iran where most of the 212 people got the infection.
However, CM Buzdar denied the reports, saying the deceased had tested negative for COVID-19.
There are a total of 212 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan as of now, and the country has witnessed a rapid increased in the number of infected over the last 36 hours.
