PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 23 deaths due to Covid-19 on Tuesday, raising the overall number of people passed away from the infection to 610 in the province.

It is the highest number of fatalities recorded by the province in a single day since the onset of the pandemic. A total of 521 new cases were detected during the last 24 hours, making the total count of the confirmed coronavirus-hit patients 14,527 in the province, according to a health department’s report.

The case fatality rate (CFR) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 4.9 per cent, the highest in any province of the country. The nationwide CFR is 1.99 per cent. CFR in Peshawar is 6.1 per cent, also the highest in any district in the country.

The province-wide tally of recovered patients reached 3,631 as 52 more Covid-19 confirmed patients turned negative for the ailment. They were sent homes from the hospitals.

Fatalities total 610 as 23 more die of coronavirus in the province

Peshawar continues to contribute major share of deaths to the provincial count of fatalities as 12 more fall prey to the virus in the provincial capital, making its number of fallen people from the infection 323, the highest in the province. The provincial capital detected 190 new cases, bringing its total score of confirmed patients to 5,289.

Three people became victim of Covid-19 each in Dir Lower and Abbottabad where number of deaths reached 16 and 26, respectively. Both the districts also registered 12 and 18 new patients, bringing their total count to 532 and 512, respectively.

Swat saw death of two persons due to the virus where the number of deceased reached 54, the second highest number after Peshawar. The district also reported 61 new cases where number of total cases reached 1361, also second after Peshawar.

Mardan, Malakand and Dera Ismail Khan witnessed one death each due to the pandemic, raising number of total deaths in those districts to 34, 22 and five, respectively. Each of these districts registered 24, 75 and nine fresh patients which made the overall count of positive people with virus there 632, 767 and 165, respectively.

Kohat recorded 18 more Covid-19 patients, making its total score of cases 209. The district has so far seen deaths of 15 persons due to the infectious ailment.

In Shangla district, 29 patients were confirmed with the virus by laboratory tests where the number of total confirmed cases reached 215. The district has so far recorded two deaths due to the pandemic.

The number of coronavirus patients in Nowshera reached 408 with registration of 36 new cases during the last 24 hours where 24 persons have fallen to the sickness since its outbreak.

According to the report, 17 cases were confirmed in Charsadda district where number of total patients infected with virus reached 369. The district has so far registered eight fatalities due to the virus.

Dir Lower and Buner districts detected 12 patients each, making number of confirmed patients there 532 and 250, respectively.

Kolai Palas is the only district in the province which stays free from the virus. The rest of the district are reporting cases with Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swat, Malakand, Abbottabad, Dir Upper, Lower and Mardan the worst-hit while the remaining districts recorded cases in ones and twos but the infection is widespread throughout the province.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020