Iran's Deputy Health Minister Dr. Iraj Harirchi tests positive for Coronavirus

Dr. Iraj Harirchi, the Deputy Health Minister of Iran and the Head of the country's counter Coronavirus taskforce has tested positive for the deadly virus. The government authorities announced the developments on Tuesday. 

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Deputy Health Minister tests positive for Coronavirus

Dr. Harirchi addressed a press conference to give an update on the way the country was handling the outbreak of the virus on Monday, with news on his illness being announced a day later. 

The novel Coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people globally, causing around 2,700 deaths, mainly in China. The World Health Organisation has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the Coronavirus that causes it.  The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sought to reassure the nation in a speech on Tuesday, calling the new Coronavirus an "uninvited and inauspicious passenger". Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Oman also announced their first cases of the virus on Monday and connected them to travel with Iran. 

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During his stay in India, US President Donald Trump stated that the issue of deadly Coronavirus will be over soon as Beijing is getting it “under control”. Addressing India Inc CEOs in New Delhi, Trump said that the United States has planned to spend about $2.5 billion to fight the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

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While most of the cases are from Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, other countries, including Italy, Japan and the Philippines, have also reported deaths related to COVID-19. The epidemic has not been declared as pandemic yet and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General said that using the word ‘pandemic’ does not fit the facts. “This is not the time to focus on what word to use. That will not prevent a single infection today,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press briefing on COVID-19.

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(With Agency Inputs)