Pak PM Imran Khan to get tested for COVID-19

Islamabad, Apr 21: Imran Khan has agreed to get tested for the novel coronavirus after a well-known philanthropist was tested positive for the COVID-19, days after meeting the Pakistan prime minister, his doctor said on Tuesday.

Faisal Edhi, the son of late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation, met Khan last week. Khan’s personal physician and CEO of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Faisal Sultan, told the media that Khan would undergo COVID-19 test.

"Prime Minister Khan will undergo test of the coronavirus to show that he is a responsible citizen of this county,” Sultan said. "We will follow all protocols in place and make recommendations accordingly.”

The protocols recommend self-isolation for people who meet those tested positive for the coronavirus.

Pakistan on Tuesday reported 16 more deaths from the coronavirus, taking the country's toll to 192, while the number of confirmed infections spiked to over 9,000. It is not clear how Khan will run the government if he was asked to go into quarantine.

Khan is currently working as per routine and also chaired a meeting of Cabinet.

Earlier, Saad, the son of Faisal Edhi, told the Dawn newspaper that his father started showing symptoms last week, soon after meeting Khan in Islamabad on April 15.

"The symptoms lasted for four days before subsiding," Saad said. He said that his father was currently in Islamabad and was doing better. "He has not been admitted to any hospital and is self-isolating," he said.

Faisal Edhi had met Prime Minister Khan to hand over a Rs 10 million cheque for the premier's coronavirus relief fund. The Edhi Foundation was founded by the late Abdul Sattar Edhi and is the leading charity organisation in Pakistan.