Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Health Minister, Taimur Khan Jhagra, has said that KP is the only province that is adhering to WHO guidelines in reporting COVID-19 deaths.
KP has the highest Coronavirus death toll across Pakistan while Peshawar has become the city with the highest death toll after Karachi.
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As per the latest updates, KP has reported 3,712 positive cases, 203 deaths, and 939 recoveries from Coronavirus. Peshawar alone accounts for 1,471 cases and 125 deaths and 78 recoveries in the province. The provincial capital has a death rate of 8.5% and a recovery rate of 5.3%.
In a recent TV show, Jhagra stated that since most confirmed Coronavirus patients from other cities of KP are being treated in Peshawar, the provincial capital has a relatively higher death toll in comparison to them.
Moreover, another reason for Peshawar’s high death toll is that the categorization mechanism of WHO requires all deaths to be counted in the areas where they occur, Jhagra explained.
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Therefore, it is unfair to compare the deaths reported in Peshawar with other cities without taking into account the reporting mechanism of WHO.
Jhagra concluded that accurate data reporting helps provincial healthcare authorities to devise strategies before time to undertake necessary measures and direct essential medical supplies to the areas where most cases and deaths are being reported.
