ISLAMABAD: Pakistani opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday he had tested positive for the coronavirus, as the South Asian nation reported over 3,000 new cases for a second day running.
A second, deadlier wave of coronavirus has been gathering momentum in Pakistan since late October. On Thursday, a government portal showed 3,306 people had tested positive for the virus and 40 had died in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 386,198 cases.
“I have tested positive for #COVIDー19 & am self isolating with mild symptoms,” Bhutto Zardari, who is chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said in a tweet. “I‘ll continue working from home … Wear a mask everyone, see you on the other side IA"
Health officials have told media the second wave of the virus was proving "far more lethal” than the first one, which peaked in May-June. On Thursday, schools around the country were shut until January and indoor dining banned at restaurants.
The new outbreak has surprised Pakistan, where for months many have been saying the pandemic was over.
The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, which did not impose the sort of sweeping lockdowns seen in wealthier countries, had boasted of controlling the virus but is now struggling to counter public indifference to the pandemic.
