32% Rise in Iran Virus Infections

EghtesadOnline: Daily confirmed coronavirus cases in Iran spiked by 32% on Wednesday to take the national total beyond 112,000, the Health Ministry said.

News ID: ۷۵۰۰۳۶

14 May 2020

The infections rose by 1,958, up by 477 a day earlier, bringing the number of cases to 112,725, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour was quoted as saying by ISNA.

“Out of the nearly 2,000 overnight cases on Wednesday, 490 required hospitalization. Some 1,460 displayed mild symptoms,” Jahanpour said.

“Despite the declining trend in infections and deaths, the situation is very different in the provinces of Tehran and Khuzestan. Khuzestan is on emergency alert and requires public cooperation.”

According to Ali Rabiei, the government spokesman, the jump in Covid-19 patients in southwestern Khuzestan is due to its residents’ indifference toward social distancing measures and holding weddings, funerals and other gatherings.

Ali Sary, a parliament member for Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan, said on Wednesday that rumors about the virus dying in warm climates contributed to the public dismissiveness of the highly contagious virus in the southwestern province.

During his daily briefing, Jahanpour noted that one-fourth of daily infections came from the oil-producing province.

Fatalities from the outbreak reached 6,783 with 50 overnight deaths while some 2,700 are in critical condition.

“Nearly 90,000 have survived the respiratory illness and the country has carried out 629,000 coronavirus tests to identify and isolate patients,” Jahanpour said.

Iranian Testing Kits Arrive in Germany

About 20,000 Iranian coronavirus testing kits arrived in Germany on Wednesday, Apokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi said.

According to the official, Pishtaz Teb Zaman Company, the producer of the kits, has the capacity to manufacture and export thousands of tests to other countries.

The knowledge-based company has so far exported its products to Germany and Turkey, and received orders from several African countries.

In line with Iran’s scheme to relax confinement measures, the Health Ministry informed that the coronavirus taskforce is preparing to ease more restrictions.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki spoke on the reopening of high-risk businesses such as restaurants, saying that the coronavirus taskforce will hold meetings so that “businesses can gradually resume operations by late May and June”.

Iran had previously allowed low- and medium-risk businesses to resume operations under its Smart Distancing Initiative that conditioned reopening on following protocols designed by the Health Ministry based on the nature of each business.

The top health official also said the ministry is issuing health protocols to provinces for the reopening of sport centers for athletes in individual sports.

Worldwide infections crossed 4.35 million on Wednesday and the tally of death neared 300,000, as many countries have begun to relax quarantine measures to revive economies.