Iran Says Will Soon Contain COVID-19 in Some Provinces

Addressing the Parliament on Tuesday, Namaki said the battle with the coronavirus is going to reach the containment stage in a number of provinces in the coming days.

He also expressed hope that Iran would get better results in controlling the contagious disease by mid-May.

“I hope we would move towards the containment of the disease in the days to come, as we have approached that limit in a number of provinces. However, it does not mean that we can immediately abandon all principles and distancing and health issues, otherwise, this dragon (coronavirus) will wake up once again,” the minister explained.

Namaki noted that Iran is still managing the disease and has not reached the containment and control phase.

He also highlighted the country’s success in handling the situation under the heavy pressure of sanctions, noting that some 30 to 50 percent of the hospital beds across the country are unoccupied.

The minister went on to say that the national screening scheme helped the medical society identify the suspicious cases, reduced the pressure on the health personnel, and decreased the number of deaths.

The number of coronavirus patients in Iran has surpassed 62,000, of whom more than 24,000 have recovered. The disease has taken the lives of 3,872 people in Iran.