ISLAMABAD: As many as 28 healthcare workers of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and one of them has died.

The latest case is of a senior doctor who was found positive for the virus on Thursday.

“Though my report is positive I have given samples at a private lab to reconfirm if there was an error in the report of the National Institute of Health (NIH),” the doctor told Dawn.

He said he was not having any symptoms due to which he had decided to isolate himself at his home.

Pims Joint Executive Director Dr Minhajus Siraj said so far 28 employees of the hospital had been diagnosed with the disease.

There are also senior doctors, including two professor and a college vice principal. One official sacrificed his life while combating the deadly virus,” he said.

The vice principal was on Thursday admitted to the hospital for a few hours but it was observed that he was having depression so it was decided to send him home at Pims Colony, he said.

Dr Siraj said three nurses of the hospital who were residing in the hostel also tested positive after which a quarantine centre was established in the college of nurses.

Replying to a question, he said there were 32 confirmed patients in the hospital.

“We have got a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine which will be installed in the hospital in a few days after which we will conduct tests of our employees.”

Dr Siraj said it takes almost three days to get reports from NIH. After installation of the machine, we will get the result of a test the same day, he said.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2020