Inmate at Lahore's Camp Jail tests positive for coronavirus

Pakistan has reported its first case of coronavirus in an inmate on Tuesday.

According to Geo News, the prisoner is incarcerated at Lahore’s Camp Jail and had complained of a fever on March 18.

Jail Superintendent Asad Warraich told the TV channel that the prisoner was arrested last month while smuggling drugs from Italy.

He had been transferred back to the jail after the test, said the officer.

Courts around the world have issued orders to release prisoners serving jail terms on minor charges to lower the chances of an epidemic in overcrowded jails.

Raad more: Punjab reports three new coronavirus cases, nation-wide tally rises to 892

Earlier today, Islamabad High Court released 408 prisoners on a temporary basis. IHC Chief Justice Athar MInallah remarked that this is a emergency situation and bail would be accepted after approval from the concerned investigation officers. 

Currently, there are 892 confirmed cases of the virus in the country.

According to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, there are 176 confirmed cases of the virus in Dera Ghazi Khan, 51 in Lahore, five in Gujrat, six in Gujranwala, three in Jhelum, two each in Rawalpindi and Multan and one case each in Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Rahim Yar Khan and Sargodha.

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Sindh remains the worst affected province by the virus in the country so far, with a total of 399 coronavirus cases.

In Karachi alone, the numbers of cases of the virus are 130, with the majority said to be cases of "local transmission".

According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department, the number of cases in the province stands at 38 after four new patients were reported earlier this week, while the number of reported cases in Gilgit-Baltistan is 80.

Balochistan has reported 110 cases, while one case has been reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In Islamabad, 15 patients have been confirmed to have contracted the virus.

The country has also reported six deaths from the virus, with Balochistan reporting its first death on Sunday. Balochistan government's spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani confirmed the province's first death from the virus in a tweet.

The deceased was a 65-year-old man, under treatment at the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital, according to Shahwani.

Previously, three coronavirus patients lost their lives in KP while Sindh has reported only one death from the disease.

One doctor, Dr Usama Razi, who was treating patients in Gilgit-Baltistan, passed away on Sunday after contracting the disease.