Pakistan's first coronavirus patient recovers, discharged from hospital

Islamabad, Mar 6: Pakistan on Friday announced that the first person infected with coronavirus in the country had recovered and was being sent home from hospital. Sindh Media Coordinator to Health and Population Welfare Minister Meeran Yousuf said that the patient will be discharged from hospital on Saturday.

The patient, who was found infected with the virus days after his return from Iran, was kept in isolation for the past 10 days in Karachi and was tested three times.

The third test performed on Friday morning came out negative and he was cleared of the virus. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah termed the recovery "a big achievement". He congratulated the COVID-19 task force, the patient and his family. So far, no coronavirus related death has been reported in Pakistan.

Sindh and Balochistan provinces have already closed their schools and colleges after the deadly virus surfaced in the country. Pakistan has also closed its border with Iran and Afghanistan, and authorities have screened 7,60,000 people for the novel coronavirus.

Chairing a meeting of the Coronavirus Emergency Core Group in Islamabad on Thursday, Prime Minister's Advisor on Health Zafar Mirza said over 7,60,000 people entering the country were checked at various entry points.

"The federal and provincial governments, as well as other institutions, are fully ready to meet the challenge and protect the people," he said. Now the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan have come down to five.

The novel virus reportedly first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year and has claimed over 3,200 lives globally. The disease has spread to more than 70 countries. The World Health Organisation last week raised the global virus risk to maximum level after the outbreak spread to sub-Saharan Africa and stock markets around the world plummeted.