First Pakistani national dies of coronavirus in Italy — foreign office

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani national infected by coronavirus has died in Italy, the Pakistani foreign office said on Wednesday, as the death toll from an outbreak of the virus in Italy jumped in the last 24 hours by 196 to 827.

“61-year-old Imtiaz Ahmad, unfortunately, died of coronavirus in a place called Brescia, 100 miles from Milan in Italy,” foreign office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a statement. “The Consulate has been in touch with the family and Italian authorities on the matter.”

The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 12,462 from a previous 10,149, an increase of 22.8%, the country’s Civil Protection Agency has said.

In Pakistan, authorities have confirmed 20 cases of the virus since February 26, of which one has recovered.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization described the new coronavirus as a pandemic for the first time, adding that Italy and Iran were now on the frontline of the disease and other countries would soon join them.

In the past two weeks, the number of coronavirus cases outside China, where the virus originated, has increased 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has tripled, the WHO said.

“There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives,” the WHO said, adding that thousands more were fighting for their lives in hospitals.

“Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanomsaon said in a statement. “It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”