Peshawar: Senior journalist Fakhruddin Syed passed away due to the coronavirus, early on Thursday morning at Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC).

HMC spokesperson Toueed Zulfiqar, while confirming the news, said the journalist had been in home isolation after testing positive for the virus but was shifted to the hospital five days ago after his condition worsened.

He added that Syed was being treated with plasma from recovered patients. "His health condition improved after plasma therapy."

However, Zulfiqar said Syed's condition deteriorated on Wednesday night, following which he was shifted to the intensive care unit and put on ventilator.

Syed was working for the TV channel 92 News. Previously he had worked for several reputed media organisations including Roznama Jihad, Roznama Pakistan, Aaj News and DawnNewsTV.

He leaves behind a widow and two daughters.

Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ajmal Wazir paid tribute to Syed and added that "we will never forget his contributions to journalism".

Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, Wazir said that journalists "knew there was danger but still risked their lives to provide information to the people" and the provincial government paid tribute to them for their services. He added that journalists were also on the frontline in combating the coronavirus pandemic.

Wazir also announced that the government would give Syed's family Rs1 million as compensation.

Last month, senior journalist Zafar Rasheed Bhatti passed away due to the coronavirus. It was the first such death reported from the disease in the country.

Bhatti, 70, had served as the head of the English desk at Associated Press of Pakistan and led the union of the state news agency.

Earlier this month, a report released by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said that the novel coronavirus has claimed the lives of three media persons in the country and infected 156 others.

The report highlighted that camera journalists and photojournalists have been the biggest sufferers since the outbreak of Covid-19.
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