Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has confirmed Pakistan’s fifth case of coronavirus.

In a tweet early Tuesday morning, Mirza said the case was confirmed in the federal areas.

“Patient is stable and is being managed well. I request the media to respect the privacy of the patient and the family,” he wrote.

The patient was identified as a 45-year-old woman from Gilgit. She tested positive for the virus at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

On Monday evening, the Gilgit-Baltistan government had announced that public and private educational institutions would remain closed till March 7 as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of the virus.

On February 26, Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus. Dr Mirza had said one case was from Karachi while the second was from a “federal” area.

He made the announcement in a tweet, which asked people not to panic. “Things are under control,” Dr Mirza had said.

Both patients had recently travelled to Iran. The Karachi patient and his family were placed in quarantine at the Aga Khan University Hospital. His family was cleared and released the next day. The third and fourth cases were reported three days later.

Pakistan had already closed its border with Iran after the coronavirus outbreak there. Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan at Chaman was also closed on Monday as a precautionary measure.

In Sindh and Balochistan, the provincial governments had announced that all schools will remain closed till March 13.