Former DPI Director Imran Khan dies from COVID-19

Former Director of the Department of Public Information (DPI) Imran Khan has succumbed to COVID-19 eight days after he was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

The News Room understands that Khan, 43, had no underlying medical conditions and did not take any of the COVID-19 vaccines; he succumbed at around 01:36hrs on Tuesday after going into severe respiratory failure.

Reports reaching the News Room indicate that Khan, a member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), tested positive for the disease on September 14, 2021; on September 20, his wife rushed him to the hospital after he experienced trouble breathing and he was immediately admitted into the COVID-19 ICU.

His wife, Tammy Khan, would later test positive for the disease and she too was admitted in the ICU; the News Room understands that she was discharged on Monday.

It was only on Sunday that Khan posted on social media and thanked everyone for their support and prayers.

“Thank you for all your love, prayers, messages of encouragement and support. I am overwhelmed beyond explanation and I am in excellent spirits…Please be assured that I am fighting and there is no giving up. One Love”, he wrote.

At the time of his death, Khan worked for the APNU+AFC Coalition opposition as the head of their communications unit. During the APNU+AFC’s time in office from 2015 to 2020, he also sat on several State Boards including that of the National Communications Network (NCN).

Prior to that he worked for several years within the media unit and rose to the head of marketing and communications for Cricket West Indies.