The spouse of an official of the High Commission of India in Islamabad finally tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection, contrary to the clamour on social media by the netizens of Pakistan.
The Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) test conducted at the Provincial Public Health Referral Laboratory at Lahore in Pakistan revealed that the spouse of the official of the High Commission of India in Islamabad had not been infected by the virus, sources in New Delhi said.
The laboratory, which conducted the test, is run by the provincial government of Punjab in Pakistan.
A 17-member-team of diplomats and consular officials posted at the HCI Islamabad as well as the members of their families crossed over to Pakistan from India through the Attari-Wagah border on Saturday. The rapid tests conducted by the Pakistan Government’s health officials purportedly found the spouse of one of the officials positive for the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Pakistani netizens reacted sharply with some expressing concerns on social media platforms over possibility of the SARS-CoV-2 variant that wreaked havoc across India now posing a new threat in their country. Some even drew the attention of the Asad Umar, the chief of the National Command Operation Centre constituted by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to oversee measures to contain the outbreak.
The RTPCR test conducted by the referral laboratory in Lahore however confirmed that the spouse of the official of the HCI Islamabad was not infected by the virus.
All members of the team however would remain in quarantine for 14 days as the protocol put in place by Pakistan Government for any visitor from India.