Gilgit-Baltistan reports second coronavirus case, Pakistan tally rises to 20

Gigit-Baltistan reported its second coronavirus case on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the GB government, Faizullah Firaq, said.  According to the spokesperson, the patient, a 14-year-old, hails from Skardu. 

They are under treatment at City Hospital in Skardu.

The confirmation takes the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan to 20. 

Earlier today, a three-member team from the National Institute of Health (NIH) had reached Skardu, where they met with the Gilgit-Baltistan secretary.

The meeting discussed the precautionary measures that can be taken to combat the coronavirus. The GB spokesman said that the NIH experts will train local health officials.

The first confirmed case in GB was of a 45-year-old woman, who arrived from Iran a few days to Gilgit before she was diagnosed.

An official of the health department said the woman was being treated at a hospital and her family members were being tested for the virus.

Sindh has reported the most number of confirmed cases among the provinces, with Karachi the worst affected city so far with 15 of the total confirmed cases.

Also read: Two more coronavirus cases emerge in Sindh

On Tuesday, two cases of the coronavirus had emerged in Sindh. The first was reported in Hyderabad. The patient reportedly came to Pakistan from Doha via Syria. 

The second case was reported in Karachi. 

130 isolation wards set up in GB

The GB government spokesman, Firaq, said that in the wake of the situation, 130 isolation wards have been established in the territory. 

Firaq said seven rooms have also been reserved to treat coronavirus patients at the Skardu Hospital. 

He added that samples have been taken from eight suspected patients and sent to Islamabad for confirmation. 

Border closure extended 

Earlier this week, Pakistan extended the closure of its Chaman border with Afghanistan for another seven days amid the coronavirus outbreak in the neighbouring country. 

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

“Three positive cases of coronavirus have been registered in  the western Herat province of Afghanistan,” Wahidullah Mayar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health 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 tenth straight day today, with all trade and migration suspended and over 15,000 people having undergone screening.