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ISLAMABAD: About 46 percent of Pakistanis who have tested positive for the coronavirus have a travel history to Iran, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report published on April 1.
Pakistan closed its border with Iran last month following the outbreak in the neighboring country, which has reported more than 47,500 cases of coronavirus and more than 3,000 deaths, making it the worst hit country in the Middle East. Pakistan, where testing for the virus is not widespread, has 2,696 confirmed cases and 40 deaths. 
“Out of the total 2,039 confirmed cases in Pakistan till April 1, 46% have a travel history to Iran, 27% had travel history to other countries and local transmission has been reported in 27% of the confirmed cases,” the WHO report said.
All data used in the report comes from the government of Pakistan, Dr. Palitha Mahipala, WHO’s Pakistan representative, told Arab News on Saturday. 
Pakistan and Iran, one of the countries worst hit by the outbreak, share a 900 km border, which is frequently used for trade and by Pakistani Shiites, who travel to Iran for religious pilgrimages, often crossing at a border crossing at Taftan.
Pakistan’s Director General Health, Malik Muhammad Safi, told Arab News, that around 6,000 pilgrims had entered Pakistan without being properly screened for coronavirus on the Iranian side. 
“Iran announced their coronavirus outbreak very late due to which more than 6,000 zaireen [pilgrims] entered Pakistan unchecked, which became a source of local transmission in Pakistan,” Safi said. 
He said Iran’s late announcement of the outbreak within its borders resulted in the spread of the respiratory illness to many regional countries.
Indeed, Iran has emerged as the second focal point after China for the spread of coronavirus. Cases in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and even Canada have all been traced to Iran.
The Iranian government denies concealing facts about the outbreak. President Hassan Rouhani said during a televised speech on March 18 that his government had been “honest and straightforward with the nation.”
WHO officials said in early and mid-March that Iran’s response to coronavirus was coordinated and evolving in the right direction, but that more needed to be done.
Talking about Pakistan’s anti-coronavirus efforts, Saifi said the government would use 14,000 nationwide polio eradication centers as part of its coronavirus response.
“We are going to use all these 14,000 centers, and also 200 polio surveillance officers have also been deputed for the surveillance of potential coronavirus patients,” the director general health said. “We have started COVID-19 testing at 20 places around Pakistan and working on taking this number to 50 labs to increase testing across the country.”