Sana Hashwani, CEO and half of the SanaSafinaz designer duo, released a statement in the early hours of Monday quashing rumours that she has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, COVID19 and shared her negative test results.

For nearly a week, rumours had been circulating on social media, primarily Facebook and WhatsApp, claiming that the designer had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and was fighting for her life at a hospital in Karachi along with several others as a result of refusing to isolate herself after returning from the United Kingdom. The posts were accompanied with an unclear and unverified picture of an unconscious, intubated woman in hospital.

“We are appalled with the way some people create false content at the expense of others. We are sharing Sana Hashwani’s test results in order to dispel the rumours that she has COVID19," read the statement.

"Sana returned from the UK and took the test as a precaution so as not to endanger family members with compromised immunity. She tested negative but nonetheless placed herself under self-isolation as any sensible person returning from abroad should do at this time."

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The designer also condemned the spread of "unproductive slander” as well as the unethical use of the unknown woman's picture in a vulnerable state.

Hashwani is the latest in a string of celebrities who have taken the COVID19 test as a "precaution" despite showing no symptoms immediately upon returning to Pakistan from virus-hit locations. Actors Humayun Saeed and Adnan Siddiqui got a coronavirus test and went into self-quarantine after a promotional trip to the United States, while activist Jibran Nasir also took the test after discovering he had contact with someone who had tested positive.