Official: Iran’s Health System Fully Ready to Counter COVID-19

Head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services Pir-Hossein Kolivand reassured on Saturday that his country’s health system is fully prepared to defeat coronavirus, labeled by the World Health Organization (WHO) as COVID-19, adding that all the necessary and precautionary measures have been taken.

Kolivand said today that country’s all emergency forces are in full alert to be able to properly respond to any kind of problems.

There are enough hospital garments and other necessary medical equipment, he said.

Noting that the emergency personnel are equipped with the latest medical equipment to combat with the spread of coronavirus, the official said that all the precautionary measures have been taken and the required financial resources have been provided.

Some 50 special operation teams have been deployed in Tehran and other Iranian cities to carry those people infected with coronavirus or anyone with symptoms of virus infection, Kolivand said.

Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced on Saturday that the number of people diagnosed with infection to COVID-19 virus has increased to 593, adding that 43 patients have also died so far.

“We have had 205 new cases of coronavirus-infected people since Friday noon, and 9 of them have passed away unfortunately,” Jahanpour said.

He added that the number of infected people has reached 593, noting that 123 patients have recovered.

Jahanpour also said that on 10 to 15 percent of the suspected cases are infected with coronavirus and the rest are diagnosed with other types of virus infection.

According to the latest reports, coronavirus has caused 2,924 deaths, while 85,212 people have been diagnosed with the illness across the globe.

The coronavirus is spreading in the Middle East, Europe and other parts of the world, as Brazil confirmed its first case in Latin America, while parts of China begin to lower their emergency response level as the number of new cases reported there continues to slow.

The Iranian health ministry 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 closure of educational and cultural institutions across the country as of Monday.

In a letter addressed to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki underlined that his country will assuredly defeat the outbreak of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), adding that the world will be awed by Tehran’s way of managing the epidemic.

Namaki vowed that the country would surprise the world with its way of dealing with a coronavirus that has claimed more than two dozen lives since it broke out in the country last week.

The minister said in his letter that all government departments had joined in the fight against coronavirus in a “unique show” of solidarity.

“This, without any question, would surprise the entire world when the disease is brought to its knees,” wrote Namaki.

He said that Iran’s swift response to the coronavirus outbreak had come despite the growing economic pressure on the country due to the American sanctions.

The minister said that medical personnel across the Iranian health system were replicating heroic efforts shown during the massive floods that affected parts of the country in March and April.

The letter came after Ayatollah Khamenei thanked Namaki and all medical personnel across Iran for their efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed and appreciated strenuous efforts by the Iranian health minister and his colleagues to fight against coronavirus.

Ayatollah Khamenei lauded “invaluable” efforts being made by Minister Namaki and the country’s entire health sector in the fight against a coronavirus outbreak.

He delivered a message to the country’s medical staff on Thursday at a meeting with Alireza Marandi, the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Leader expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to the Iranian health minister and his colleagues as well as the country’s entire medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, for their hard work to contain COVID-19, as the novel coronavirus is called.

“Your work is invaluable. It both enhances the value of the medical and nursing community in the society — something which has already come about — and, more importantly, it will bring you divine reward,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

He further wished the country’s healthcare system success in the fight against the epidemic, expressing hope that the “difficult and momentous task” will not become prolonged, and that the “malicious virus will be uprooted as soon as possible.”