Corona cases on the rise in KP: CM Mahmood Khan

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Friday cases of Covid-19 were increasing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged the public to strictly follow precautionary measures in order to make themselves and others safe from the virus.

In an official handout, the chief minister appealed to the public to realise the sensitivity of the issue and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs). He advised the citizens to restrict themselves to their houses, avoid crowding in markets and other public places and follow the principles of social distancing.

The chief minister termed the precautionary measures and social distancing the effective way to be safe from the corona pandemic and said that by strictly following the precautionary measures and government’s instructions, the citizens can protect themselves and others from the disease. He warned that negligence could lead to a great and irreparable loss and urged the public to strictly follow the precautionary measures in order to help the government contain the virus. Mahmood Khan expressed the hope that people of the province would extend full cooperation to the administration to limit the transmission of the coronavirus.

KTH begins coronavirus testing

The Medical Teaching Hospital (MTI) Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) has established Khyber Teaching Hospital Public Health Laboratory which is Biosafety level 2 Laboratory. A press release said during a meeting with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan early this month, MTI KTH management had made a request for donation of PCR machines. The donations were made by the World Health Organisation through DG Health Services and Health Secretary Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah. The press release said the establishment of the state of the art Biosafety level 2 Laboratory was made by the MTI KTH with own resources. The MTI KTH received notification from the Health Department for reporting authorities for Covid-19 which was started on Friday after completion of the first batch of PCR testing. The samples of Peshawar and Khyber districts will be screened at the MTI KTH Lab.