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Iran mobilizes resources to battle coronavirus

Tuesday, 25 February 2020 4:09 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 25 February 2020 4:09 PM ]

Iranian medical staff work at the state-run "13 Aban" pharmacy in Tehran on February 19, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Ghanbar Naderi
Press TV, Teheran

Iran’s health ministry has mobilized resources to coordinate efforts to stem the coronavirus spread nationwide. This is while authorities have ordered the closure of schools, universities and cultural centers in a bid to contain the outbreak.

Free masks and handouts are being distributed among the people, with the priority given to cities that have reported coronavirus cases.

The infection first surfaced in the city of Qom last Wednesday, when it claimed the lives of two elderly people. Iran has yet to confirm the origin of the outbreak, but officials and medical experts have speculated that it was brought in by Chinese workers or an Iranian businessman.

This is while several Middle East countries are also dealing with their first infections, even as China eased curbs with no new cases reported in Beijing and other cities.

Speaking to reporters, Ali Akbar Velayati, who is the head of Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran and a top adviser to Iran’s leader, urged the officials to learn the lesson of acting fast and ramp up their response to the virus. He said the new coronavirus is less deadly than SARS and will be soon brought under control.

According to the World Health Organization, the deadly outbreak has the world on edge, but it has not yet developed into a pandemic. The organization has instead declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

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