Two more coronavirus cases emerge in Sindh

HYDERABAD: Two more cases of the coronavirus have emerged from Sindh, confirmed the provincial health department on Tuesday. 

The first case of the novel coronavirus emerged from Hyderabad. The patient reportedly came to Pakistan from Doha via Syria. The second case of the novel coronavirus has emerged from Karachi. 

The media coordinator to the Sindh health department tweeted about the two new cases as well. 

"#Sindh Health Department has 2 new cases of #CoronaVirusPakistan The first case is from Hyderabad & the patient arrived from Syria via Doha. The second case is from Karachi & the patient arrived from Iran via Dubai. This brings the total number of cases to 15 in Sindh," she wrote. 

The development comes a day after nine new cases of the novel virus were reported in Karachi. After the emergence of the two new cases of the pandemic in Pakistan, the total number of people who have contracted the infection has jumped to 18. 

Read more: Nine new coronavirus cases emerge in Karachi, bumping tally up to 16: health dept

A spokesperson for the provincial health department said Monday six of the new patients had returned to Pakistan from Syria via Doha, Qatar, while the other three arrived from London via Dubai. Of them, a 53-year-old man — a resident of Karachi — was shifted to a quarantine facility alongside his family.

Iran and Afghanistan

Pakistan in this regard had extended the closure of its Chaman border with Afghanistan for another seven days amid the coronavirus outbreak in the neighbouring country after announcing closure till March 8.

“Three positive cases of coronavirus have been registered in western Herat province of Afghanistan,” Wahidullah Mayar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health had told Reuters, adding that of the 36 cases tested in Kabul, 33 had come back negative.

According to security officials, the Chaman border remained closed for an eighth day today, with all trade and migration suspended and over 15,000 people having undergone screening.

Most of the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Pakistan have a travel history to Iran.

Afghanistan's Herat borders neighbouring Iran, which is one of the countries worst affected by the coronavirus outside of China, with more than 4,000 cases and dozens of deaths.

However, trade activities at the border with Iran resumed on Saturday almost 14 days after Pakistan had closed its border last month. At least 190 people have died of coronavirus and over 6,500 infected, including senior government functionaries.