Iran Ready to Export Corona Diagnosis Kits: Government Spokesman

Ali Rabiei said in the field of kit manufacturing, the country is now able to produce almost 20,000 kits while these kits were not available in the early days of the outbreak.

“At the beginning, some kits were donated by China and the World Health Organisation and we were heavily relied on imports, but today our kits have been developed to such an extent that we can greatly expand the number of our tests,” noted Rabiei.

Now the private sector is also working on these kits and people are taking home diagnostic kits, underlined Rabiei.

Speaking to the state TV on Wednesday, Rabiei also added the industrial production of masks has also quadrupled in the country.

He said we have to increase our production in this area, but now this number is enough for the treatment sector. As for disinfectants, it was reported that stores have begun to supply more.

Regarding the decrease in the number of the coronavirus infections, he stated the number of victims has declined gradually, reflecting the impact of quarantine on patient care.

“At one of our most important hospitals in Tehran, referrals have declined by a quarter, and in another by one fifth which is good news. Of course, this trend is different in our provinces, and in some of them, although not upward, there is a steady trend.”

Raising hope about passing the peak of the outbreak in the country Rabiei said “I have no medical expertise, but I hope we have passed the disease peak; at least the evidence shows that we have passed the peak.”

On the subject of the number of labs Rabiei said there are 66 state-owned and 33 private laboratories for corona testing in the country.

“Among those, who have been infected and killed by coronavirus, 70% were almost 70 years old and had underlying disease. Of the children, who were said to have been infected by the coronavirus I must say there were five and they had underlying problems, so people should not be worried.”

The spokesman for the government said over 60 million people have participated in the screening plan so far, adding that more than 100,000 people have been advised to stay home and that their conditions is being followed up. Also, 18,000 people were introduced to hospitals in this plan and 5,600 needed to be hospitalised.

Emphasising that there is no evidence of the exact timing of the end of the outbreak, he said, “However, we can say its control and containment is going on.”

“Considering the country’s health care, we would say in the future, if the health recommendations are observed, the mortality rate will be very low,” reiterated Rabiei.

He continued that the government believes investment in the production of kits, medicines and ICU beds must be promoted, and the government will import these stuff whenever needed, but thank God no one is left behind the hospital door.
It was also agreed that foreigners, who are living in Iran and cannot afford the costs, should be treated at the expense of the government if they become ill.

As long as the disease persists, people should use public transport according to the protocols and in fact pursue a new lifestyle, he emphasised.

About the restrictions imposed on Nature’s Day, Rabiei said “96% of foreign flights and 70% of domestic flights have been cancelled in the Social Distancing Plan for Nature’s Day. Passenger shipments were down by 97 percent, and we witnessed 80 percent of decrease in transportation.”

He further added the existence of a culture of caring for the elderly in the country, on the one hand, and the European population being older than Iran on the other hand, has led to a lower corona mortality rate in the country.

“There are still 4,000 beds in the armed forces facilities and 13,000 in the health ministry hospital beds, and about 100,000 beds that the armed forces have prepared are still vacant, which is a very big achievement.”

After the first wave of the outbreak, there existed a problem in the world regarding the supply of ventilators. But the Islamic Republic produces 38 ventilators a day, and the contract to produce 2,000 more is signed with private companies and knowledge-based ones. However, in some countries they attach eight beds to one ventilator, he pointed out.