Pakistan confirms 9 new cases of coronavirus

ISLAMABAD: State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza confirmed nine new novel coronavirus cases in Pakistan, taking the tally to 16.

All new cases were reported in Karachi, according to a statement from the health department of the Sindh province, where Karachi is located.

“I can confirm 9 new cases of #COVID19 in Karachi. All these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case. Further contacts are being traced and tested. This makes a total of 16 cases in Pakistan,” Zafar Mirza tweeted.

This came two days after the first COVID-19 patient was discharged from a Karachi hospital after “fully” recovering.

A majority of patients have a history of traveling to neighboring Iran, which has reported the highest number of deaths after China and Italy.

Despite the sharp rise in new cases, Pakistan Super League match between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings will go ahead as per schedule.

More than 110,000 people in over 100 countries have tested positive for the virus.