Coronavirus Cases in Pakistan Surge to 237, Sindh Worst Hit

A worker wears protective gears disinfect an area as a precaution against the new coronavirus at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, 17 March, 2020.

(Photo: AP)

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 237 on Tuesday, 17 March, amidst conflicting statements by authorities on the nation's first casualty due to the viral infection and Prime Minister Imran Khan's warning that the disease will spread further.

The Sindh province is the worst-hit with 172 cases, followed by 26 in Punjab, 16 each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, 5 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 2 in Islamabad, officials said.

According to Meeran Yousuf, media coordinator to the Sindh health minister, the total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 172 in Sindh province on Tuesday. Of the 172 patients, 134 are in Sukkar, 37 in Karachi and one in Hyderabad city.

The “exponential increase is largely due to the recent inflow of people brought in from Taftan after a purported quarantine,” said Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab.

The number of quarantined pilgrims in Taftan rose to 4,000 by 11 March. Some of them were allowed to go their provinces after local Balochistan government said it could not handle the rush of pilgrims coming from Iran.

Earlier, about around 300 people were taken to Sindh and quarantined at Sukkur to undergo tests before going to their homes.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah accused in a press conference that pilgrims were not properly isolated at Taftan and were kept together.

Meanwhile, government is taking steps to contain the pandemic as authorities in Punjab province converted all public sector universities’ hostels into quarantine centres as an immediate arrangement.

Officials said that universities were informed in the province to clean all hostels and shift the belongings of students, if there were any, to store rooms after properly tagging them for identity.

The Prime Minister's Advisor on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that all educational institutions have been closed and their staff stopped from attending the institutions.

The deadly virus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in December, has claimed over 7,000 lives and infected more than 170,000 people over 135 countries and territories.

China remains the hardest-hit with 80,860 infections and 3,213 deaths. After China, Italy and Iran are the two worst-affected countries.

Pakistan's high-powered National Security Committee on Friday took several decision to boost efforts to defeat the threat posed by the virus.

Among other things, it decided to close down the western border with Afghanistan and Iran. It also ordered the closure of all education institutions in Pakistan till 5 April in view of the virus outbreak.