Islamabad, May 21 (IANS): The novel coronavirus has claimed the lives of three mediapersons in Pakistan and infected 156 others, according to a report released by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).

The report released on Wednesday highlighted that camera-persons and photojournalists have been the biggest sufferers since the pandemic struck the country, reports Dawn news.

The report, compiled by Zulfiqar Ali Mehto who heads the PFUJ's COVID-19 rescue committee, states that out of the three dead journalists, one was from Multan and the two others from Sukkur.

Sixty-nine journalists have returned home from hospital after recovery, while the others were in quarantine and their condition is out of danger.

Lahore has reported the highest number of cases at 84, followed by Rawalpindi and Islamabad with 24, Quetta 17, Peshawar 12, Karachi nine, Sukkur six, Multan five and Gujranwala and Hyderabad two each.

Mehto said the PFUJ had collected data from its units spread across the country and Azad Kashmir.

"One media person got infected in Pakistan occupied Kashmir but he has recovered now, whereas there has been no coronavirus victim among journalists in Gilgit-Baltistan area," Dawn news quoted Mehto as saying.

The development comes as the country has so far registered a total of 47,394 COVID-19 cases, with 1,010 deaths.