QUETTA: A former provincial minister and another person died of Covid-19 disease on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to eight in the province.

A former provincial minister for local government belonging to Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Sardar Mustafa Khan Tareen, had tested positive two days ago in Pishin. He was admitted to the Quetta Civil Hospital’s intensive care unit, but his condition continued to deteriorate and he died on Wednesday.

Hospital officials said that Mr Tareen died of Covid-19 disease, but his family sources denied the claim.

A family member said that Mr Tareen had been suffering from some lung disease for a long time and his death was not due to coronavirus.

Another man died of Covid-19 disease in the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital. The 38-year-old was brought to the hospital from Sheikh Manda area of Quetta and he was on dialysis.

Health authorities said that 57 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Wednesday in the province, pushing the total number to 552 patients in the province.

Liaquat Ali Shahwani, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said that 168 patients were discharged from hospital after they fully recovered from the disease.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2020