Two new coronavirus cases have been reported in Pakistan, taking the total number of cases in the country to four. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed this in a press conference on Saturday. One of the patients is from Karachi while the second case was confirmed in the federal areas. The health department said this new case is unrelated to the previous case reported in Karachi of a 22-year-old male.
The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Karachi, officials at the Sindh health department said Wednesday. The 22-year-old patient, Yahya Jaffri recently traveled to Iran from Karachi and has been placed in quarantine at the Aga Khan University Hospital. He traveled to Karachi from Iran in a plane. All passengers traveling with him will be examined by the government.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has discontinued its flight operations for China and Japan for at least three weeks in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. While announcing the halt of flight operations on Monday, the airline spokesperson said that the ban is a precautionary measure. The decision on whether to resume flights or extend the ban will be taken next week.
Pakistan temporarily closed its border with Iran at Taftan as the number of casualties from the novel coronavirus in the neighbouring country rose to eight. The Balochistan government has also imposed a ban on the travel of pilgrims from Pakistan into Iran by road. The prime minister’s aide said that teams have been posted across the Taftan border, where all passengers entering Pakistan are being screened
Mobile accessory prices soar in Pakistan as markets depend on Chinese imports are running out of supplies due to coronavirus fears. This includes mobile phone hardware, accessories and spare electronic parts. According to an importer, they have reached a historic low in the stock of supplies. The market has responded to the dwindling supplies by raising prices. LCD screens for mobile phones that cost between Rs900 and Rs1,000 now cost Rs1,800.
A hotel in China has employed robots as staff to serve food to guests to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The robots work on all 16 floors and glides across the hallway of the hotel and says. “Hello. Cute Peanut is serving meals. Bon appetit,” according to the translation. Guests wearing masks collect their food and go back to their rooms.
The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan on Wednesday announced that the three Pakistanis, who had been diagnosed with the Coronavirus in the country, have been cured. Last month, Dr Mirza had announced that four Pakistani students in China were tested positive for the coronavirus at a press conference in Islamabad. At that time too, the SAPM had refused to share the names of the affected students with the media.
China has introduced a mobile app, “close contact detector,” allowing people to check whether they were in close proximity to a Coronavirus carrier. The application works by letting users check their status by scanning a QR code using applications like Alipay, WeChat, or QQ. The person is then directed to a page that requires them to enter their name and government ID number. Once all the information is added, the user’s status is displayed.
The government of Punjab has decided to screen incoming passengers from China or any Coronavirus-hit country at the airports and the suspects are to be kept in isolation rooms for 15 days. The decision was made in a high-level meeting on Wednesday chaired by the Chief Secretary Punjab, Major (r) Azam Suleman Khan.
Five Pakistani students have been diagnosed with coronavirus in China, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing confirmed on Wednesday. He also said that the Pakistani students were immediately isolated and shifted to a hospital after they showed symptoms of coronavirus and also the government is trying to control the spread of the virus outside China.