The 14-year-old boy, a resident of Skardu, was detained in an isolation center where he tested positive for COVID-19.
The second coronavirus case in Gilgit-Baltistan emerged on Wednesday, taking the total number of confirmed cases in Pakistan to 20.
The 14-year-old boy, a resident of Skardu, was detained in an isolation center where he tested positive for the mysterious pneumonia-like viral disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
So far, 20 Pakistanis have tested positive for COVID-19, including 15 belonging to Sindh, four from Gilgit-Baltistan and one from Balochistan.
First coronavirus case surfaces in Quetta, taking Pakistan’s total to 19
On Tuesday, the first case of coronavirus emerged in the capital of Balochistan. The 12-year-old patient had arrived in Quetta with his parents from Iran via the Taftan border, the head of a government hospital said.
The family belongs to Dadu district of Sindh, hospital medical director Fatima Jinnah said, adding that the child’s parents, three siblings and paternal aunt tested negative.
One patient has already fully recovered and was discharged from Karachi hospital last week.
Meanwhile, Dr Zafar Mirza, de facto health minister, said the federal government was closely monitoring the developments and new cases were being provided the best medical care.
“Don’t worry…the situation is completely under control. The federal and provincial governments are jointly making all-out efforts to protect the masses from coronavirus on a war footing,” he wrote using his official Twitter account.
Dr Mirza admitted that coronavirus cases in Pakistan had doubled in the last 24 hours.
“It’s not surprising. The disease has spread to 106 countries. All 19 cases come from abroad. All are stable. There is currently no evidence of local spread. If we act responsibly, we can prevent the spread,” he wrote.
He also advised the public to practice hygiene by washing their hands properly, avoiding touching their faces and keeping their distance from sick people.
“The government is working hard to contain the spread, but we must all do our part in this fight,” he added.
All educational institutions in Sindh and Balochistan have been closed until March 13 amid fears of an outbreak of the contagious disease.
The mysterious COVID-19 virus, which originated in a veterinary market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has since spread to more than 110 countries around the world, killing more than 4,000 people and infecting more than 115,000 people, mostly in China. far.
But new outbreaks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia have stoked fears of contagion in poor countries that lack the health infrastructure to deal with it.
In Pakistan, sandwiched between China and Iran, two hotbeds of the disease, fears are growing about how the country will manage the epidemic.