PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday recorded six more deaths due to Covid-19 pandemic while 261 new patients tested positive for the ailment, according to daily situation report of health department.

It said that province-wide death toll due to coronavirus reached 351 and count of total positive cases stood at 6,815. Three persons passed way in Peshawar and one each in Nowshera, Swat and Dir Lower. Peshawar continues to remain at the top of fatality list from the virus with 209, which is the highest number recorded by any district in the province as well as in the country so far.

The provincial capital recorded 94 new cases, making its overall count of positive patients 2,604, also the highest by any district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Pakistan.

Swat, another endemic district, confirmed 24 new patients, taking its total number of cases to 584. In Nowshera district, 14 new patients were diagnosed positive for the infectious ailment. Total count for the pandemic in the district now stands at 187.

Mardan’s total tally reached 369 with detection of three new cases and Abbottabad had 140 patients with seven new cases, according to report.

Number of cases reaches 6,815 in the province

Deaths and cases are concentrated in highly populated central districts while the caseload was nominal in the southern and newly merged tribal districts.

Swat is second after Peshawar with 30 deaths. Mardan has 23 deaths; Nowshera 11; Swabi 10; Malakand, Dir Lower and Abbottabad eight each; Kohat six; Charsadda, Bajaur and Mansehra five deaths each while South Waziristan, Tank, North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Orakzai, Hangu, Kohistan Upper and Lower, Kolai Palas, Torghar, Chitral Lower and Chitral Upper have not reported any confirmed death due to Covid-19.

The health department report said that 7,230 persons so far recovered from the pandemic, making the total number of healed people from the sickness 2,130.

Swat has recorded 229 recoveries from the ailment, most in the province, followed by Peshawar with 206, Mardan 186, Buner 108, Dir Upper 106 and Malakand with 104 recoveries.

According to the report, the case fatality rate (CFR) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was 5.15 per cent as compared to Tuesday’s 5.26 per cent, the most in the country. CFR in Peshawar was 8.02 per cent as compared to Tuesday’s 8.20 per cent, the most in any city of Pakistan.

The case fatality rate has slightly decreased in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Peshawar.

Six persons have passed away in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whereas Peshawar alone has contributed three deaths to the overall fatalities occurred in the province during the last 24 hours.

It means Peshawar has contributed 50 per cent to the total fatalities occurred in the province during the last 24 hours.

It shows the situation is continuously worse in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general and in Peshawar in particular.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2020