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IRAN’S DEPUTY HEALTH minister has been infected with the coronavirus, a ministry official confirmed, amid a major outbreak in the country.
“The coronavirus test for Mr Iraj Harirchi, the deputy health minister who was on the front lines combating the coronavirus, was positive,” Alireza Vahabzadeh, a media adviser to the health minister, said in a tweet.
Harirchi coughed occasionally and appeared to be sweating during a press conference yesterday with government spokesman Ali Rabiei.
Clusters of the illness have been reported across Iran and there are concerns the new outbreaks could signal a serious new stage in the global spread of the illness.
Schools were closed for a second day, and daily sanitising of public buses and the Tehran metro, which is used by some three million people a day, was started.
In several countries that reported their first cases yesterday – Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, the infected patients had links with Iran.
Iraq and Afghanistan closed their borders with Iran in an effort to stop the further spread while Bahrain announced a 48-hour suspension of flights to and from Dubai, the world’s busiest international airport.
With reporting by PA
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It’s time to act across the EU, here too especially. We can’t handle a pandemic. That much we know. It’s not tourist season, we can still act in time to reduce exposure while minimising hassle.
Flights to and from affected areas should be cancelled for a few weeks.
@Perlum Sprite: We handled the last pandemic in 2009 didn’t we?
@David Garland: the mortality rate for that pandemic was between 0.1% and 0.7%. The mortality rate for this virus while not finally established is multiples of that, maybe 10 times higher. You’re comparing apples and oranges.
@Connoroconner: Im not comparing anything.. I’m sure the Irish health service is well equipped to deal with whatever cases we’ll have. Plus if it does hit it will be outside our own flu season which means the hospitals will have a better chance to deal with it..
@David Garland: Give it a rest. It seems that no matter how many times it’s pointed out to you that this not a flu and is many orders of magnitude worse than any flu in every way, you persist with making unfounded comparisons.
@Paraic: What unfounded comparisons? 400,000 died in the last pandemic in 2009.. So far this virus/flu has killed less than 3,000. What don’t you understand about my figures?? They’re facts!
Don’t worry about it. SF have promised to cure it if they get into government.
@Nioe: How often do you dream of Mary Lou?
@Nioe: Harris has it sorted you’ll be fine.
They wont close EU borders as they are too worried about adverse effects on the economy. Money taking priority over people’s health again
Its nearly here :-\
@xDemo17: It doesn’t travel alpahabetically!
@Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa: That is funny lol
It would put the shites up ya. Has it only killed those with underlying health problems so far?
It is probably the will of Allah
People really need to tone down the scare-mongering.
The first case of Rubella in decades here is of far more serious concern
have your say