Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Rises To 237
Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced on Monday that 2,394 people out of 7,161 patients infected with coronavirus have recovered, adding that the death toll has raised to 237.
“Based on the laboratorial results, 595 new patients infected with COVID-19 have been identified in the country since Sunday noon and the number of infected people increased to 7,161 cases,” Jahanpour said.
He expressed displeasure that 43 people died of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 237.
Meantime, Jahanpour said that 2,394 patients infected with COVID-19 virus have been treated and discharged from medical centers.
Globally, more than 110,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 with over 3,800 deaths so far, the vast majority of them in China where the virus originated late last year.
The coronavirus is spreading in the Middle East, Europe, US and other parts of the world, while parts of China begin to lower their emergency response level as the number of new cases reported there continues to slow.
Authorities across the United States reported 500 cases of coronavirus and 22 deaths as of Sunday.
As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and universities have been extended for the next two weeks.
The government also imposed travel restrictions, specially on Iran’s north, which is among the red zones. The country has also adopted strict digital health control procedures at airports to spot possible infections.
Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced last week that a new national mobilization plan would be implemented across the country to fight against the coronavirus epidemic and more effectively treat patients.
Namaki said that the plan will include all the 17,000 health centers and the 9,000 medical and clinical centers in all cities, suburban areas and villages.
He added that the plan will include home quarantine, noting that infected people will receive the necessary medicines and advice, but they are asked to stay at home.
Namaki said that people with a more serious condition will stay at the hospitals, adding that the public places will be disinfected, the entries of infected towns and cities will be controlled to diagnose and quarantine the infected cases.
He added that the necessary equipment and facilities have been provided, expressing the hope that the epidemic would be curbed.
Namaki said that the number of medical laboratories to test coronavirus infection has reached 22, and will increase to 40 soon.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Iran’s response to the virus has so far been up to the mark. Still, it says the US sanctions are a big challenge, and Washington would be complicit in the rising death toll in Iran if it would not remove its sanctions.
The World Health Organization has considered priorities in combating coronavirus and Islamic Republic of Iran obeys and follows up priorities as defined by WHO.
The WHO is dispatching separate delegations to all countries.
