Family members of Karachi coronavirus patient test negative

KARACHI: Amid panic triggered by the emergence of the first two confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Pakistan, family members of a Karachi student diagnosed with the disease tested negative on Thursday, the Sindh Health Department said.

Three members of the 22-year-old confirmed as infected with the virus tested negative for the presence of the disease at a Karachi hospital.

Subsequently, they were released from the hospital.

The first case of COVID-19 emerged in Karachi, a citizen who returned from Iran along with two of his friends was tested positive for the virus.

The second patient, identified in Islamabad, was shifted to quarantine in the capital’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

The 22-year-old patient confirmed as infected with the coronavirus in Karachi had been taking his regular classes after returning to Pakistan from Iran, said Karachi University (KU) spokesperson today.

The spokesperson said the youngster is a student of International Relations evening programme from MA previous. He said it was decided to conduct tests of the fellow classmates of the patient.

Senior medical officer of KU will conduct tests of the affected student’s classmate.