First case of coronavirus emerges in Balochistan.

KARACHI: The first case of coronavirus in Balochistan has been confirmed in a 12-year-old boy, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan to 19.

The patient has recent travel history of Iran, according to Dr Noorullah Musakhail, the medical superintendent at Fatima Jinnah Hospital in Quetta.

Two more cases of novel coronavirus emerged from Sindh as well on Tuesday, pushing the tally to 15 in the province, the Sindh Health Department said. One of the patients is from Hyderabad who arrived from Syria via Doha while the other is from Karachi who arrived from Iran via Dubai, the officials said. "The health department is in the process of tracking down all the contacts for further testing," the statement added.

So far 19 Pakistanis have been tested positive for COVID-19, the mysterious viral pneumonia-like disease caused by the novel coronavirus. One of the patients has already fully recovered and discharged from the hospital in Karachi last week.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed the report of fresh cases of coronavirus in the country, bringing total to 19. "I can confirm nine new cases of coronavirus in Karachi. All these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case," he said in a tweet. "Further contacts are being traced and tested."

Dr Mirza said that the confirmed cases in Karachi last evening are in stable clinical condition, and almost all of them are asymptotic. They all had travel history and were picked up during contact tracing of an existing coronavirus patient, he said, and appealed to the media to respect the privacy of the patients and their families and avoid sharing their personal details. He said that there is no need to panic as things are 'under control'. "In the present situation, we need to focus on prevention and showing of responsibility," he said.

Meanwhile, six air traffic controllers have been quarantined after they were suspected of having contracted the novel coronavirus, Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Abdus Sattar Khokhar said in a statement. The suspected patients were posted at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi and have been isolated as per the standard operating procedure, Khokhar said, adding that directions have been issued to screen all staff members of air traffic control who are posted in Karachi for any symptoms of COVID-19.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed all government and private hospitals to share...