98-Year Old Woman Survives Coronavirus in Mashhad

Meanwhile, a member of Mashhad Medical Sciences University informed of the birth of a 900 gram baby from a mother suspected coronavirus infection, adding that this is the first case of a baby born with coronavirus infection.

Dr. Ahmad Shah Farhat added that the newborn had respiratory problem for the first 24 hours but now is breathing naturally without a need to device.

“Four babies have so far been born at this center from coronavirus affected or suspected mothers, three of whom were healthy while this is the first case infected with the virus,” Shah Farhat explained.

However, Iran’s Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jananpour said that increase in the number of COVID-19 patients is due to the active patient detection mechanism in the country amid intensification of social distancing protocols.

“Although five or six of the hospitalized patients die every hour, we expect to go from the management phase to the containment phase of the disease in the coming days and weeks”, Jahanpour said, adding, “This is all owing to the self-caring of people and the policies that the government enforces.”

Furthermore, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki said the country has reached a bright point in controlling viral diseases and will soon announce a new achievement putting the country in the first position globally.

Nevertheless, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said strict rules of social distancing are extended until April 8, adding that the conditions of coronavirus-infected individuals will be announced to their families and workplaces as soon as they are identified.

Moreover, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif censured the US policies during coronavirus pandemic, underlining that the White House is seeking revenge through a human disaster.

Meantime, Iran’s Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohammad Nahavandian said many EU states back Iran’s $5b loan bid from the International Monetary Fund, as the country is fighting coronavirus epidemic.

Iran’s scientific community voiced concern over the detention of Iranian scientist Sirous Askari by the US authorities as coronavirus is rampant in all US states and inmates in all US prisons are the most threatened community.

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting approximately all countries and territories around the world. The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has so far killed more than 38,000 people and infected approximately 800,000 others globally.

As for Iran, the Iranian health ministry announced on Tuesday that 3,111 new cases of infection to COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country, adding that 2,898 patients have died so far.

“According to definite diagnostic standards, a sum of 3,111 new cases of infection to COVID-19 virus have been identified in Iran during the past 24 hours, increasing the number of infections to 44, 606,” Jahanpour said.

He added that fortunately, 14,656 patients infected with COVID-19 virus have also recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Jahanpour said that 141 coronavirus patients have passed away during the past 24 hours, noting that the death toll has increased to 2,898 so far.

The Iranian foreign ministry declared that despite Washington’s claims of cooperation to transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Although US claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have practically blocked the transfer of Iran’s financial resources in other countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.

As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and universities have been extended until early April.

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.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced earlier this month 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.

According to the latest statistics of Health Ministry, the number of medical laboratories to test coronavirus infection has reached 90 across the country.

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.