Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has tested positive for the coronavirus, he said on Friday night.

"Just got my covid test result and it is positive. Will be isolating at home," Umar tweeted.

Umar is also heading the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) – a national body that includes civil, military and health experts and which was formed to strategise against and defeat the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Several politicians, including Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari have tested positive for the virus since the first case emerged in the country in February.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra also tested positive earlier and have since recovered.

Virus situation

The second wave of the coronavirus has intensified in the country since November with Pakistan reporting a record number of daily deaths earlier this week, figures not seen since the peak of the virus during the summer.

A day earlier, data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed that over 5,000 people had tested positive and more 176 deaths were reported in two days.

While 309 ventilators were occupied across Pakistan, the occupancy of vents showed that as many as 44 per cent of the ventilators allocated for Covid-19 patients were occupied in Islamabad, 43pc in Multan, 30pc in Lahore and 27pc vents were occupied in Peshawar. The situation of oxygen beds showed that in Peshawar 60pc, Rawalpindi 41pc, Multan 39pc and in Islam­abad 39pc beds were occupied.

The current fatality rate due to Covid-19 is 2.02pc as compared to 2.22pc globally.

Moreover, out of overall pat­ie­nts, 70pc male persons have been infected in Pakistan, 77.5pc were over the age of 50 years and 73pc had chronic comorbidities. As many as 91pc of deceased remained hospitalised and 58pc of hospitalised patients remained on ventilators.