Islamabad: A senior diplomat of the American embassy in Pakistan has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a media report said.

According to sources, the case surfaced on Tuesday and the American Charge d'Affaires has informed the staff of the development via an email, The Express Tribune reported on Thursday.

In a statement, the embassy's spokesman said that while maintaining the privacy, the name of microbe infected citizen would not be disclosed.

The US State Department is responsible to protect its citizens, wherever they are, the spokesman added.

In coordination with the Pakistani authorities, the consulate is working to enforce the coronavirus protocol in order to stem its spread.

The spokesman added that isolation wards, contact tracing and quarantine facility are part of such protocols.

The development comes as Pakistan has reported a total of 86,139 COVID-19 cases, with 1,793 deaths.