GILGIT: The last Covid-19 patient from Nagar, the hardest hit area in Gilgit-Baltistan, was discharged from isolation centre on Saturday.

According to health officials, now there is no patient of coronavirus in the district.

Nagar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shahrukh Cheema said that they had zero positive case in the district. “After 53-day untiring efforts, we made it possible,” he added.

The deputy commissioner said still people needed to follow Covid-19 safety protocol. More than 100 Covid-19 cases were reported in the district since March.

District Health Officer Dr Nuzhat said that the pandemic was controlled in Nagar with the joint efforts of administration, civil society members, volunteers and politicians.

Javed Hussain, a member of Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly from the area, said that Nagar was the most affected area of the region.

However, efforts by administration, civil society members and politicians made Nagar a model district for the entire country, he added.

Meanwhile, nine new cases were reported in Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday including seven in Astore and two in Gilgit district, taking the tally to 430.

Five patients recovered including three from Astore and one each from Nagar and Hunza, making the total count of healed persons 303 in the region.

Presently 123 patients are under-treatment and four have died of the virus in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020