Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reports its first case of reinfection with coronavirus

The first case of coronavirus reinfection at the provincial level has surfaced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The News reported on Monday. 

The patient first contracted COVID-19 five months ago, when he tested positive at the National Institute of Health on June 6. He had subsequently tested negative on June 19.

Hailing from Mardan, the patient works in the Basic Health Unit (BHU) at Parliament House in Islamabad. 

"He tested positive for coronavirus again last week," said Dr Aamir Khan, a teacher at the Khyber Medical University and in-charge of Parliament House. He has been retested multiple times since, each time testing positive for virus.

Read more: Second coronavirus wave more lethal, warns Pakistan Medical Association

Second wave more lethal

Leading pulmonologist Dr Shazli Manzoor has said that the coronavirus has mutated and become more lethal in Pakistan.

Dr Manzoor said there was a new virus strain that was hard to detect. "It is very severe and lasts longer than the infections in the first wave."

The federal capital's most sought after COVID-19 specialist urged the public to observe self-lockdowns, limit interactions, and follows SOPs. He said an unprecedented spike in the COVID-19 cases was seen in the last three days, noting that hospital beds were filling up fast while ventilators were in short supply in Islamabad.

"There is no age limit — children as young as one-year-olds are testing positive," he said. "Coronavirus and the ongoing flu season are a deadly combination."

Dr Manzoor said the next eight to 10 weeks were crucial. "It would be a great challenge for the healthcare system to bear the brunt of new coronavirus cases.