Iran's deputy health minister has been infected with the new coronavirus, a ministry official said on Tuesday in a country first among those affected by the disease after China, the source of the virus. "The test on Mr. Harirchi, Deputy Minister of Health who was on the front lines against the coronavirus, was positive," said Alireza Vahabzadeh, media advisor to the Minister of Health, on Twitter.
95 people infected, 15 dead
During a press conference on Monday with government spokesman Ali Rabii, Iraj Harirchi coughed several times and appeared to be sweating. During this conference, Iraj Harirchi denied the assertion of a deputy that fifty people have lost their lives as a result of the epidemic of viral pneumonia in Qom, a holy city in the center of the country where the virus left Iran. He had promised to resign if this figure was confirmed.
Iran confirmed 34 new cases and three deaths on Tuesday, bringing the number of people infected to 95 and the total number of dead to 15, the highest death toll after China, where more than 2,600 people lost their lives. According to the Ministry of Health, most of the cases concern people who had recently gone to Qom, which has not yet been quarantined.