PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded eight new Covid-19 deaths and 473 cases on Saturday.

The new cases were the largest one-day spike in the province.

Of the fatalities, four were reported in Peshawar and one each in Charsadda, Swat, Buner and Abbottabad.

Experts say the virus incidence has spiked because the government has eased lockdown and the people are taking safety measures lightly.

They fear that more and more people will be diagnosed with coronavirus in the days ahead for not following social distancing, especially during Eid holidays.

Among new cases is former minister and Jamaat-i-Islami MPA Inayatullah, who quarantined himself and asl(ed the people, who met him in the last few days, to undergo Covid19 test.

Awami National Party leaders Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who were diagnosed with the virus a week ago, have recovered, a party news release said.

The virus is widespread in other districts of Peshawar division as well.

Charsadda and Khyber districts recorded 28 new cases each and Nowshera 13.

Peshawar district recorded 157 cases in the last 24 hours that took its virus tally to 3,503. It has 255 fatalities from coronavirus, the most by any district in the country.

Mardan recorded a jump in the virus incidence with 49 new cases.

Until now, 27 people have died of the virus in the district, while the confirmed cases total 490.

Swat district has so far recorded 41 deaths and 856 confirmed patients.

As for other districts of Malakand division, 20 cases were reported in Bajaur during the last 24 hours, 16 in Malakand, 15 in Lower Dir, 10 each in Upper Dir and Shangla.

The virus has killed 16 people Malakand, 13 in Bajaur, eight in Lower Dir, five in Buner and two each in Shangla and Upper Dir.

Abbottabad district was worst hit by the pandemic in Hazara division with nine new cases, which took its tally of patients to 285. Fourteen deaths from the virus have so far been reported in the district.

Covid-19 cases in Kohat totalled 127 after detection of seven new ones, while seven new cases were reported in Karak. Until now, 2,809 people have recovered from the virusin the province.

In Lakki Marwat, a youngster, who died of coronavirus, was laid to rest in Gandi Khankhel area amid strict safety measures on Saturday.

The 27-year-old breathed his last at a isolation ward of the Mufti Mehmood Memorial Teaching Hospital, DI Khan.

Additional deputy commissioner Noorul Amin, additional assistant commissioner Aminullah Khan and some relatives attended the funeral prayer.