PTI MPA Shaheen Raza passes away after contracting COVID-19

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) from Gujranwala, Shaheen Raza, passed away on Wednesday after having tested positive for the novel COVID-19.

As per details, Shaheen Raza was shifted to the isolation ward at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital, on Monday and was put on a ventilator after her condition deteriorated.

On Saturday, she was quarantined at District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital after displaying symptoms of COVID-19. She was confirmed to have the virus on Sunday.

She had been inspecting quarantine centers for some time. Some days back, she fell ill and she got treatment from private doctors and was later shifted to the DHQ hospital.

Doctors said that the 60-year-old MPA also suffered from diabetes and blood pressure issues. Shaheen Raza was elected to the Punjab Assembly on a special seat in the 2018 elections.

Pakistan has reported 45,898 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, while the death toll stands at 985, according to the latest figures released by the national dashboard.

According to the National Command and Control Center (NCOC), more than 1,932 cases of coronavirus were reported while 46 people succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.

Moreover, Pakistan has started ‘pool testing’ of COVID-19 suspects across the country in a bid to scan a maximum number of people.

The health authorities in the country have been preparing for the ‘pool’ or ‘group’ testing for weeks and the process has already started in various hospitals.

Pool testing is a way to screen large numbers of people for COVID-19 even if they are asymptomatic. Earlier, a number of other countries including Germany and a few states in North America implemented the technique with encouraging results.