Coronavirus: Death Toll In Iran Reaches 107, With Over 3,500 Infected

An Iranian Health Ministry has said that the death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak, officially known as COVID-19, has risen to 107 in Iran.

“107 people have died of the virus in the country so far,” the head of the public relations and media department of the health ministry, Kianoush Jahanpour told Mehr news agency on March 5.

“A total of 8,532 have been tested for the virus so far, of which 3,513 were diagnosed with the new virus since its outbreak in the country.”

He said that the number of infections is growing in the provinces of Gilan, Qom, and Tehran, adding that 552 patients infected by the coronavirus have already recovered.

According to the latest reports, the number of people worldwide who have been infected with the coronavirus has reached 95,740. More than 3,280 have died since the outbreak began in December. The vast majority of cases — more than 80,000 — have occurred in China, but around 80 other countries are now also dealing with outbreaks.

Upon his arrival in Vienna on March 4, Iran's Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh reiterated that the outbreak of the coronavirus had no impact on Iranian oil production and the country's industry is the same as before.

“The oil market is currently in surplus due to the spread of the coronavirus, stating that it is necessary for OPEC and non-OPEC members to do their best to balance the oil market,” Zanganeh said before attending an emergency OPEC meeting, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA.

In a reply to a question whether Iran is pursuing a policy of more than 500,000 barrels of oil reduction, the minister added that politics is working here, not experts' views.

At the proposal of the Joint OPEC and Non-OPEC Joint Technical Committee and the Secretariat, at least about 500,000 barrels per day should be cut.

Addressing the session of the cabinet on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that “unfortunately today, despite the majority of our society and everyone working together to help overcome this problem, there are some who want to take advantage of this issue for their own financial benefit.”

“On the other hand, there are also some active in the social and foreign media who hide behind the mask of compassion, but in fact, they are spreading false news in order to spread anxiety in our society and make our people anxious,” the official website of the president reported.

Meanwhile, the head of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences said on Wednesday that Iran's Food and Drug Administration has issued the permit for medical examination of the two formulas for the treatment of coronavirus.

Ali-Reza Jalali said that both of the newly-developed medicines are herbal and in the form of sprays, adding that the medicines help the patients recover faster, but they are not a total cure.

The World Health Organization dispatched a medical team to Iran for the first time since the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. It also sent supplies worth more than $300,000, including gloves, surgical masks, and respirators, along with a six-member team to Iran to assist the country in containing the deadly virus.

The WHO-led team consists of doctors, epidemiologists and laboratory specialists who will help Iran detect and control the contagion. The 7.5 tons of medical equipment will benefit Iranian health care providers.