422 Suspected, Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus Infection Discharged from Hospitals in Qom, Gilan After Recovery

Spokesman of the Iranian Health Ministry Kianoush Jahanpour announced on Thursday that 422 patients who had been hospitalized for suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 virus infection have been dismissed from hospitals in the two provinces of Qom and Gilan after full recovery.

“22 people in addition to the 30 patients who had been declared yesterday and were infected or were suspected of being infected with coronavirus in Qom have been discharged from hospitals after full recovery,” Jahanpour said.

He added that 400 patients with similar conditions have also been dismissed from hospitals in Gilan province.

Jahanpor noted that 15 laboratories across Iran conduct tests on samples taken from suspected coronavirus-infected patients now, saying that the number will increase to 22 in the next week and 40 later.

Jahanpour said on Thursday that the number of patients with confirmed coronavirus infection has increased to 245 in Iran, adding that 26 patients have died so far.

He had said on Tuesday that over 700,000 sanitation packs, including equipment to prevent coronavirus-infection have been transferred to Qom province, the first place where the COVID 19-infection was diagnosed, and are being distributed among people.

As a preventive measure, Iranian authorities have ordered a week-long closure of educational and cultural institutions across over 10 provinces as of Thursday.

These provinces include Qom, Markazi, Gilan, Ardabil, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Zanjan, Mazandaran, Golestan, Hamadan, Alborz, Semnan, Kordestan and the capital, Tehran.

Spokesman for Tehran’s Department of Education Masoud Saqafi said the decision was made to “prepare schools” which have to be disinfected and sanitized.

Tehran’s Mayor Pirouz Hanachi said Sunday that all the city’s public places, including the metro trains and buses, are being disinfected every night as part of attempts to contain the spread of the virus.

Head of Food and Drug Administration Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz also said that pharmacies will no longer be allowed to sell protective masks and that masks will be distributed among the population via government-run centers free of charge, with the priority given to virus-hit provinces.

Iran’s Minister of Science, Research, and Technology Mansour Qolami called on all university deans to make every effort to maintain a calm atmosphere and adopt effective measures to prevent the virus from spreading.

The death toll from the novel coronavirus has risen to over 3,000 worldwide, with the vast majority of those in mainland China. The total number of global cases stands at over 81,000.

South Korea now has more than 1,000 coronavirus cases nationwide. Europe’s biggest outbreak is in Italy, where 12 people have died and there are over 400 infections, with restrictions imposed on some municipalities.

The coronavirus can cause various illnesses, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as pneumonia. Common signs of the infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and other breathing difficulties.