-Yahya Ja’afri arrived by air at Karachi from Iran
-Another patient reported at PIMS Islamabad, who arrived at Lahore from Iran
-Health authorities advise not to panic
From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: The first two cases of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan have been confirmed, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said in a tweet on Wednesday evening. “I can confirm first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan. Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols & both of them are stable,” he wrote.
“No need to panic, things are under control,” he added, announcing that he will hold a press conference tomorrow on his return from Taftan.
Addressing a late-night press conference in Quetta on Wednesday, Mirza said one of the cases was reported in Sindh while the second was confirmed in “federal areas”. He added that both the affected persons had travelled to Iran in the last two weeks but refused to comment further on the two cases. In response to a question, he said 15 suspected cases of the virus are currently under investigation, while 100 cases have tested negative so far.
He said instead of creating panic or worrying needlessly, people should “take precautions and show responsibility”. Mirza urged the public to go to hospitals if they start experiencing any of the symptoms and contact the government helpline on 1166.
He said due to measures
taken by the government to prevent the spread of the virus, Pakistan is the last country in the region where COVID-19 has been reported.
“We are on the right track. With Allah’s blessings, this [virus] will not take the form of an outbreak in Pakistan,” the SAPM said, adding that measures are in place to prevent an outbreak.
Mirza’s tweet came moments after the Sindh health department announced that a young man had tested positive for the coronavirus in Karachi. The 22-year-old male patient travelled to Iran where he acquired COVID-19, Media Coordinator to the Health and Population Welfare Minister Meeran Yousuf said in a statement, days after Pakistan closed its land border with Iran, where 19 people have died from the virus. The patient travelled from Iran to Karachi by plane on February 20. He and his family have been placed in quarantine and the Health Department is in the process of examining all the passengers that he travelled with, the statement added.
The first case of coronavirus has been reported here in the port city of Karachi, media reported on Wednesday. The 22-year-old patient arrived in aeroplane from Iran and has a history of travel to Tehran from where he reportedly acquired the virus. While the young man recently arrived here in Karachi by bus, it was unclear as to when exactly he reached Pakistan.
According to reports, the coronavirus patient and his family were immediately placed in quarantine at a private hospital on the National Stadium Road. The federal health department was, as of reporting time, examining the passengers he has travelled with. Further, the provincial health department was set to dispatch a team to inspect his residence as well as his neighbourhood.
The first two cases of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan have been confirmed, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said in a tweet on Wednesday evening.
“I can confirm first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan. Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols & both of them are stable,” he wrote. “No need to panic, things are under control,” he added, announcing that he will hold a press conference tomorrow on his return from Taftan. Mirza’s tweet came moments after the Sindh health department announced that a young man had tested positive for the coronavirus in Karachi.
The 22-year-old male patient travelled to Iran where he acquired the virus, Media Coordinator to the Health and Population Welfare Minister Meeran Yousuf said in a statement. The patient travelled from Iran to Karachi by plane on February 20. He and his family have been placed in quarantine and the Health Department is in the process of examining all the passengers that he travelled with. Speaking to media, Yousuf said the man had started showing symptoms while he was in Iran. His tests were carried out today at The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) which turned out to be positive, she said.
The coronavirus has killed at least 2,700 people around the world while more than 81,000 have been infected. The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife. Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another animal species. On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation said there are now more new cases of the coronavirus reported each day outside China than inside the hardest-hit country. The UN health agency had put the number of new cases in China at 411 on Tuesday and those registered outside the country stood at 427. Two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Pakistan’s port city, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed on Wednesday, minutes after the first case was reported in Pakistan’s port city.
