In this picture released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to a group of residents of the city of Qom, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Ayatollah Khamenei said “we slapped them (Americans) on the face last night” with a missile strike “but military action is not enough.” He spoke hours after the strike at military bases in Iraq used by U.S. forces. The strike was in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iran’s top military commander in Baghdad. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Coronavirus isn’t moving as one might historically think, one country rippling out to neighboring countries.
But given the ability to travel everywhere and the potentially long incubation period before people would necessarily know they have it, that’s a recipe for disaster.
We’re seeing an example of that now in Iran, where it appears to have developed in a concentrated outbreak and they can’t trace it back directly back to China.
Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, the head of country’s counter-coronavirus task force, has been briefing ministers and journalists on efforts to fight the virus. He had suggested that they had it under control, according to Forbes.
But he just tested positive for it, and is now quarantining himself.
But here’s the problem. Here he is yesterday with the government spokesman, briefing journalists, coughing and sweating excessively, without a mask. You can almost see him spreading it. He’s been interacting with and briefing people for days.
Deputy Health Minister of #Iran Harirchi who is infected with #CoronaVirus had a joint presser along with spokesman of the government Rabiei yesterday among journalists. A footage published earlier had raised suspicion that he might had been infected with the virus. pic.twitter.com/IWKsga06SC
— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) February 25, 2020
Now today, here’s that same government spokesman, looking sick without a mask, next to the industries minister, who is looking none too well either.
Now there are suspicions that #Iran’s gov spox (left of picture) may have contracted #COVID19 from deputy health minister, who was sweating profusely next to him during a press briefing today & passed #Coronavirius on to industries minister (right of picture) in a meeting today. pic.twitter.com/HXIGGRf1id
— Ali Arouzi (@aliarouzi) February 25, 2020
An MP has announced that he has it too, according to Buzzfeed.
تست کرونای من مثبت شد. این پیام را در شرایطی میدهم که چندان امیدی به ادامهی حیات در این دنیا را ندارم:
آقای رییسی
خانوادههای زندانیان امنیتی و سیاسی تقاضا دارند برای جلوگیری از شیوع بیماری به زندانیان امنیتی و سیاسی مرخصی بدهید تا کنار خانوادهها این اپیدمی را پشت سر بگذارند.— محمود صادقی (@mah_sadeghi) February 25, 2020
Iranian MP Mahmoud Sadeghi has also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Follow all the latest updates: https://t.co/yLeWGs5eI1 pic.twitter.com/H8wnHidU6k
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 25, 2020
According to Buzzfeed, there are 95 cases with 15 deaths in Iran. But people believe that Iran may not be being truthful about the extent of the illness and some neighboring countries are shutting their borders to prevent a spread. There was also a report of 50 dead in the town of Qom, which Haririchi denied.
The rapid increase of #coronavirus cases in #Iran is raising concerns about the further spread of infection across the Middle East.#COVID_19https://t.co/dtVBncQ2Pi pic.twitter.com/NJ47MIgW2X
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 25, 2020
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