Coronavirus cases in Pakistan rise to five as woman tested positive for infection
ISLAMABAD: A 45-year-old woman, who returned from Iran, tested positive for the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan, taking the total number of the COVID-19 infections in the country to five, officials said on Tuesday.
Earlier, on February 29, two more positive cases were reported in Pakistan. The woman, who returned from Iran some days ago, is a resident of Gilgit city in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region in the north.
"We have now 5th confirmed case of #COVID19 in federal areas. The patient is stable and is being managed well. I request the media to respect the privacy of the patient and the family," tweeted Dr Zafar Mirza, Special Advisor on Health.
The blood samples of the patient were referred to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, from the Gilgit district hospital on Saturday. Officials said that the patient has been admitted to an isolated ward after testing positive.
234/ We have now 5th confirmed case of #COVID19 in federal areas. Patient is stable and is being managed well. I request the media to respect the privacy of the patient and the family.
— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) March 3, 2020
The GB government announced to shut down educational institutional till March 7 after the confirmation of its first coronavirus case. Sindh and Balochistan province have already closed their schools and college after the deadly virus surfaced in the country.
Pakistan has also closed its border with Iran and Afghanistan. So far, no coronavirus related death has been reported in Pakistan. Mirza said that all the patients were in a stable condition.