The second coronavirus case of Gilgit-Baltistan surfaced on Wednesday, raising Pakistan’s total number of confirmed cases to 20.

The 14-year-old boy, a resident of Skardu, was kept in an isolation center where he tested positive for the mysterious viral pneumonia-like illness caused by the new coronavirus.

So far, 20 Pakistanis have tested positive for COVID-19, of which 15 belong to Sindh, four in Gilgit-Baltistan now and one in Balochistan.

First case of coronavirus emerges in Quetta, bringing Pakistan’s toll to 19

On Tuesday, the first case of coronavirus appeared in Balochistan’s capital. The 12-year-old patient had arrived in Quetta with his parents from Iran via the Taftan border, the head of a government hospital said.

The family belongs to Dadu district of Sindh, the medical superintendent (MS) of Fatima Jinnah Hospital said, adding that parents, three siblings and aunt of the child have tested negative.

One patient has already made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital in Karachi last week.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zafar Mirza, the de facto health minister, said that the federal government is closely monitoring the changing situation and that new cases are being provided with the best medical treatment.

“No need to worry… the situation is completely under control. The federal and provincial governments are working together to protect the masses from the coronavirus on a war footing,” he wrote using his official Twitter handle.

Dr. Mirza admitted that the coronavirus cases in Pakistan had doubled in the last 24 hours.

“This is not surprising. The disease has spread to 106 countries. All 19 cases have brought this from abroad. All are stable. There are no signs of local spread yet. If we act responsibly, we can avoid spread,” he wrote.

He also advised the public to observe hygiene by washing hands properly, avoiding touching the face and keeping distance from sick people.

“The government is working hard to contain the spread, but we all have to do our part in this fight,” he added.

All educational institutions in Sindh and Balochistan have been closed till March 13 for fear of the outbreak of the contagious disease.

The mysterious COVID-19 virus, which originated in a veterinary market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has since spread to more than 110 countries worldwide, killing over 4,000 and infecting over 115,000 people, mostly in China. much.

But new outbreaks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia have raised fears that the infection will take hold in poor nations that lack the health infrastructure to cope.

There are growing fears in Pakistan – sandwiched between China and Iran, both hotspots for the disease – over how the country would handle the outbreak.