Not surprising that cases have more than doubled in Pakistan in last 24 hours: Dr Mirza

• He said all confirmed cases of the disease were brought from abroad.
• There is no evidence of local spread as yet, he added.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has said that it is not surprising that coronavirus cases have doubled in Pakistan after the country confirmed 19 cases.

In a tweet from his official Twitter handle, the SAPM wrote that cases have been doubled in Pakistan over the last 24 hours, adding that disease has spread in 106 countries. He said all the people confirmed to have the disease came from abroad.

"There is no evidence of local spread as yet. If we act responsibly we can avoid spread," he added.

243/ Cases in Pakistan have more than doubled in last 24 hours. This is not surprising. Disease has spread in 106 countries. All 19 cases have brought this from abroad. All are stable. There is no evidence of local spread as yet. If we act responsibly we can avoid spread.

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) March 10, 2020

In a separate tweet, Dr Mirza emphasised on the importance of hygieneto prevent the spread of coronavirus. He said people must wash hands properly, avoid touching their face and keep distance with sick people.

"The government is working hard to contain the spread, but we all need to take our part in this fight," he tweeted.

244/ The most important to limit the spread of #coronavirus is to ensure that we observe hygiene by washing hands properly, avoid touching our face & keep distance with sick people. The govt is working hard to contain the spread, but we all need to take our part in this fight.

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) March 10, 2020

On Tuesday, Pakistan reported 12 new cases of the coronavirus taking the total number of cases to 19.