First case of new coronavirus detected in Pakistan

MULTAN: The first case of an infection with the new coronavirus has been discovered in Pakistan.

A man suspected to have contracted the coronavirus has been admitted to the Nishtar Hospital in Multan, the National Institute of Health (NIH) stated in a press release issued on Saturday.

According to Multan and South Punjab’s Focal Person for Epidemic Diseases Dr Atta ur Rehman, a 40-year-old Chinese man, Feng Fen, was shifted from the Chinese camp in the Industrial Estate to Nishtar Hospital last night. The man had returned to Pakistan from Wuhan 10 days ago.

Sources said the coronavirus man first traveled from China to Dubai and reached at Karachi on  21 January, adding that later he left for Multan through Pakistan International Airline’s flight.

It further stated that the patient admitted at Nishtar Hospital Multan after his condition was deteriorated. He was shifted to the isolation ward, hospital sources said.

READ MORE: https://mmnews.tv/no-coronavirus-case-reported-in-pakistan-dr-zafar-mirza/

It is worth to mention here that the deadly coronavirus has sickened more than 800 in China and killed at least 26. The outbreak began last month in the city of Wuhan in Hubei. Scientists have identified the illness as a new kind of coronavirus, a large family of viruses, some of which cause the common cold.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has assured that the latest facility will be made available in two weeks in Pakistan.

Mirza said the country has a lack of facility to detect the deadly coronavirus in the current situation. In a statement issued here, Dr Zafar Mirza said samples of the suspected cases will be sent to international labs for testing.

He further said samples would be referred to labs of three countries, including China and Holland until the labs with the facility to detect the coronavirus are established in the country. He said specific virology labs have the necessary equipment to diagnose such diseases.