Faisal Edhi, noted Pakistani social worker and head of Edhi Foundation, tests COVID-19 positive, home quarantined

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ISLAMABAD: Faisal Edhi, the chairman of Edhi Foundation and son of the late humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Pakistani media reports said on Tuesday.

Both his son Saad Edhi and spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation Mohammed Bilal have also confirmed the news. Saad Edhi said that his father started suffering from symptoms last week, soon after he traveled to Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 15.

"The symptoms lasted for four days before subsiding," Saad was quoted by Dawn News as saying. Soon after, Faisal got tested for COVID-19 and the results came back positive today.

Saad added that his father was currently in Islamabad and was doing better. Faisal Edhi has not been admitted to any hospital and is self-isolating at Islamabad's Edhi Home, reports in Pakistani media said.

Faisal's test was conducted two days ago at the Al Shifa hospital in Islamabad. "We feel he contracted the virus in Islamabad, as he has been there for a week," Bilal said.