Over 41mln Iranians Screened for Coronavirus Infection

“Over 41mln people who count for 50% of our target society have been screened within the framework of the mobilization plan against coronavirus. Also, over 1,200 medical centers are rendering outpatient services and many of our hospitals have also become active to this end,” Secretary of the National Coronavirus Campaign Headquarters Hamidreza Jamshidi said.

Also, Deputy Head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) Hassan Abolqassem Gorji said that 15mln masks had been distributed among the country’s universities of medical sciences until March 19, and added that 14mln more N95 and surgical masks were also provided to these universities on Monday and Tuesday.

Meantime, Head of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Public Relations Department Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said on Tuesday that 700,000 Basiji (volunteer) forces are seriously cooperating with the health ministry in implementation of the national mobilization plan against coronavirus, describing it as an instance of collective determination and sympathy to uproot the disease.

Also, Spokesman for Iran’s Emergency Services Mojtaba Khaledi told FNA on Tuesday that the emergency units across the country have been supplied with necessary equipment to give service to coronavirus patients, adding that all their missions are being carried out without any problem.

Meantime, Director of the health ministry for decreasing natural disasters Mohammad Esmayeel Motlaq told FNA on Tuesday that the universities of medical sciences are providing service to people and coronavirus patients, specially the elderly and pregnant women, in the 11 provinces which have been hit by the recent floods.

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting over 180 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 16,700 people and infected over 386,000 others globally.

Iran reported on Tuesday that a total number of 1,934 coronavirus patients have died and 24,811 cases of infection have been identified in the country so far. Meanwhile, 8,931 people have also recovered.

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 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.

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.

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.