ISLAMABAD, February 28: The two patients confirmed to have coronavirus in Pakistan are “stable and improving”, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said on Thursday.
In a tweet, the premier’s special assistant on health added that all those contacts who were traced up until now and had been tested were negative for the virus.
On Wednesday, Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19 – one case in Karachi and the other in Islamabad.
The first case was confirmed in a 22-year-old male patient in Sindh had travelled to Iran where he acquired the virus. The second was confirmed in a patient at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad who came from Skardu. The patient had also visited Iran a month ago.
Dr. Mirza assured that effective measures were being taken to deal with novel coronavirus in Pakistan.
Over 300 pilgrims, among them women, have reached Taftan after being permitted to enter from the Pakistan-Iran border, the spokesperson for the Balochistan government said Dr. Zafar on Friday.
Liaquat Shahwani said that all those who are arriving in Pakistan from Iran will be quarantined for 10 days, saying that they will be allowed to leave only after the fulfillment of the term. The Pakistani pilgrims were forced to leave the Iranian territory due to which they were stranded in the area between the Pakistan-Iran border, confirmed the spokesperson.
Shahwani said that all pilgrims coming from Iran to Pakistan will be screened for the coronavirus.
On Wednesday night, Pakistan confirmed its first two coronavirus cases and the victims who were diagnosed with the virus had a travel history to the country.
Pakistani pilgrims to be allowed to return from Iran ‘gradually’
Earlier in the day, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said the government now has a plan to deal with the situation of pilgrims coming to Pakistan from Iran – which has been hit with the coronavirus epidemic. Dr Mirza said he has reviewed the situation at the Taftan-Zahedan border.-Agencies
