Ex-MNA tests positive for coronavirus in Haripur

HARIPUR: Former Member National Assembly Babar Nawaz Khan tested positive for coronavirus, official sources said on Friday.

He was quarantined at his home and samples of his family contacts and employees were obtained and sent to NIH, the sources said. With ex lawmaker becoming corona carrier, the number of positive cases increased to nine since March 29 when first positive case was reported in Haripur district. The Health Department sources said that Babar Nawaz Khan, 33, visited the District Headquarters Hospital, Haripur, after he experienced fever and difficulty in breathing two days back and the doctors on duty collected his samples after his screening. According to hospital sources, his throat swab was sent to NIH for further analysis from where it was confirmed that Babar Nawaz Khan was a corona positive.

The Rapid Response Team of Health Department visited his residence in Khalabat Township where they quarantined him in his home and collected samples of over eight family members and employees who were in his direct contact. According to family sources he had no travel history during the last six months and the contraction of viral disease could be result of his public dealing in his constituency.

It may be added that it was the sixth Covid-19 positive case reported from the single locality of Khalabat Township in total as a British national woman of Pakistan-origin and her father, two other persons who traveled to Khalabat Township from abroad and another man from the same locality, were tested positive earlier.

When approached Dr Sherbahdur, the in-charge Rapid Response Team of Health Department, he confirmed the report about Babar Nawaz but said that being a young in his 30s the former MNA was in a stable condition and opted to be home quarantined.

To a question Dr Sherbahadur said that other eight positive patients were also fast recovering and the re-sampling of two of them was collected and sent to NIH and once their samples were tested negative they would be shifted to normal life.