AKUH, DUHS debunk rumours about number of coronavirus cases

Sindh govt spokesperson also denies reports claiming educational institutes will remain shut until April 1

Amid rumours about the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Dow University of Health Sciences on Tuesday sought to dispel misinformation regarding the number of COVID-19 cases reported at their facilities.

“The AKUH is aware and has taken note of some individuals/groups posting fake and unsubstantiated news regarding the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and causing unnecessary panic,” according to an official statement.

“We are actively screening patients to ensure we do not miss any case. To date, only one person has been confirmed to have COVID-19 at the facility,” it added.

Health officials have confirmed a fifth case of the contagious disease in Pakistan and identified the patient as a 45-year-old woman from the remote Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region who is believed to have been infected in Iran.



Despite repeated calls from government officials for calm, the confirmation of novel coronavirus cases has set rumour mills in motion and social media is becoming the main source of spreading disinformation and creating panic.

The hospital urged people to only “rely on credible news coming directly from [AKUH], the government or the World Health Organisation”. It also advised citizens to protect themselves from the virus by frequently washing their hands and coughing/sneezing into a tissue or in one’s elbow.



Meanwhile, the Dow University of Health Sciences on Tuesday also issued a statement to dismiss the misinformation and rumours that 400 coronavirus patients have been admitted to the facility.

“We don’t have even a single patient with coronavirus,” clarified a statement issued by the DUHS. “The hospital administration has been in closed contact with the health department,” it said.

Sindh, which had closed all educational institutes for Feb 27 and 28 following the official confirmation of the first case in Karachi, on Monday extended the closure till March 13.

Provincial government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab on Tuesday denied reports that the educational institutes would remain shut until April 1.