PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has tested positive for the coronavirus, the party's Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday.

She has quarantined herself after the test result, Aurangzeb said. The information secretary also asked people to pray for the early recovery of Covid-19 patients, including Maryam.

Meanwhile, Maryam, while responding to a tweet, said that she had flu, cough and fever and was being treated at home.

"Overwhelmed by outpouring of prayers & good wishes," she said.

Maryam had recently led the party's election campaign for the July 25 polls in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

PML-N President and Maryam's uncle, Shehbaz Sharif, said he was saddened to hear about her testing positive. He prayed for her recovery from the virus, as well as the recovery of other people who had tested positive.

The fourth wave of Covid-19 is intensifying in the country as Pakistan reported 4,119 coronavirus infections during the last 24 hours — the first time the daily caseload went above 4,000 since May 21.

The more transmissible Delta variant is believed to be responsible for the country's fourth wave.

The variant, scientists say, has features that allow it to evade some of the body’s immune system defences. Plus, it has the highest transmissibility of any variant so far.

At the start of July, Prime Minister Imran Khan had issued a clear warning of a looming fourth wave, terming the Delta variant "the biggest concern". The concerns were also echoed by Asad Umar, who said that there were clear signs of a fourth Covid-19 wave starting in Pakistan.

Despite the warnings, cases have been steadily rising over the past month. On July 15, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faial Sultan had said that local transmission of Delta variant had started in Pakistan.

A number of politicians and government officials have been infected by Covid-19 since the pandemic first emerged in the country in February 2020, including President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and have since recovered.

Last week, Supreme Court's Justice Qazi Faez Isa and his wife Sarina Isa tested positive for the coronavirus.