Pakistan reports 6th coronavirus case

Islamabad: Pakistan has detected its sixth coronavirus case in Karachi, the Sindh health department has said.

In a statement on Thursday, the department said the 69-year-old patient has a travel history to Iran and had returned to Pakistan on February 25, reports Dawn news.

“He was being monitored by the health department and was tested today (Thursday) when the symptoms showed up. Now, we have three cases of coronavirus in Sindh,” said Meeran Yousuf, the media coordinator to the health minister.

The patient had been admitted to the isolation ward of a government hospital and his family quarantined at home, he said, adding that a health official would monitor the health of the family periodically.

The three other coronavirus patients were reported from Gilgit-Baltistan.

Meanwhile, more than 1,400 trucks loaded with goods were stranded at the Taftan border crossing after Pakistan temporarily closed its border with Iran over concerns of coronavirus, Dawn news said in the report.

Pakistan closed its border with Iran on February 23 amid rising number of coronavirus cases and associated deaths. Balochistan, which shares a 959km border with Iran, has already declared emergency in the province to contain the virus.

Sources told Dawn news that Tehran has requested Islamabad to allow trucks to enter the country.

“We are considering finding out ways for the clearance of goods,” the source said while adding the final decision is expected in the next couple of days.

The trucks stranded at the border were loaded with petroleum products especially liquefied petroleum gas, scrap and chemicals.