GB govt withdraws earlier statement on Pakistan's first coronavirus death

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday retracted its earlier statement regarding a patient dying in the region from the coronavirus, saying that the provincial spokesperson had not confirmed the news before breaking it. 

Multiple news channels had earlier reported about Pakistan's first coronavirus patient dying when GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq confirmed that a 90-year-old man passed away from the infection. 

Faraq had said that it seemed to be a case of secondary transmission of the virus as the patient did not have any travel history. However, Gilgit Baltistan government media coordinator Rasheed Arshad said that the provincial spokesperson had broken the news without verifying it. 

He said that the patient was suffering from pneumonia and kidney complications.  

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had earlier tweeted that there was no confirmation of any coronavirus-related death in Pakistan. 

"I can confirm that until now there is no corona related death in Pakistan," he had tweeted. "Geo report about a death in GB is incorrect. The corona virus test of the patient is -ve. I request media reporters that in rush to break the news first, please don’t misreport. Check your facts twice."