First suspected coronavirus case reported in Pak’s Abbottabad

Abbottabad: The first suspected case of the new strain of coronavirus was reported in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, involving a person who had recently returned from China — the epicentre of the outbreak.

The person, who hails from Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has been put under observation at the Ayub Medical Hospital (AMH) in Abbottabad.

Coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. It has since then killed more than 1,500 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

No confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported in Pakistan, through suspected cases have been reported in the past.