Aamir Latif
March 10, 2020•Update: March 10, 2020
KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan on Monday confirmed eight new novel coronavirus cases, prompting authorities to further tighten the screening at the airports and borders.
All new cases were reported from the southern city of Karachi, raising the total number of patients across the country to 16, according to a statement from the health department of the Sindh province, where Karachi is located.
Of eight new patients, at least six have a history of traveling to war-stricken Syria, the statement said.
The new cases have been confirmed two days after the first COVID-19 patient was discharged from a Karachi hospital after "fully" recovering.
A majority of patients have a history of traveling to neighboring Iran, which has reported the highest number of deaths after China and Italy.
Pakistan confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus on Feb. 26 in Karachi, where a 22-year-old male who had recently visited Iran was found to be infected.
The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has sounded global alarms, with China, the epicenter of an outbreak.
More than 110,000 people in over 100 countries have tested positive for the virus.
