Eight new coronavirus cases surface in Karachi as tally jumps to 16 in Pakistan

KARACHI: Eight new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) surfaced in Karachi on Monday, pushing the total number of cases to 13 in Sindh and 16 in Pakistan, reported ARY News.

A spokesperson for the Sindh Health Department said five of the eight people who tested positive for the disease had flown back from Syria via Doha while the rest had returned from London via Dubai.

Thus far, 16 people have tested positive for the virus in the country.

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Speaking to ARY News, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said the people diagnosed with the infection flew back from London and Syria on March 5 or 6.

He said passengers arriving at the Karachi airport are being screened.

He said flights coming from Dubai are not subjected to screening as those coming from China, the coronavirus hot-spot.

Earlier, on March 8, a fourth patient had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Karachi.

“A patient from Karachi, tested #COVIDー19 positive today. All contacts are quarantined. This is 7th case in Pakistan though 1 has already recovered & discharged & another one is ready to be discharged. If we all act responsibly we can avoid corona virus outbreak in Pakistan.” Special Assistant to the PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had tweeted