Kianoush Jahanpour said on Monday 74 people have died of the virus during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 6,277.
He said 79,397 patients have so far recovered from the disease and been discharged from the hospital.
According to the spokesman, 2,676 patients are in severe conditions of the disease.
So far 508,288 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country, he added.
Commander of Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation, Brigadier General Yousef Qorbani, said Monday the country has the largest helicopter fleet in the West Asia which gives it an upper hand.
He went on to say that visitors from friendly and neighbouring countries, who have visited the Army Aviation facilities, have approved this claim.
“Not only in numbers, but also in combat and deterrent power we are the most powerful in this region. At the same time, with the huge helicopter fleet at our disposal, we have the fifth largest chopper fleet in the world.”
“Today, despite sanctions, we have created many opportunities in the aviation industry,” added Qorbani in an interview with Fars News Agency.
He further mentioned that Iran has upgraded the choppers firepower to suit the conditions of today’s wars, in a way that Iranian choppers will no longer fire at the enemy at close range, but they target the enemy in the form of Fire and Forget.
“Over the past few years, a great deal has been carried out in collaboration with the defence industry. We have our own weapons infrastructure in the army aviation. We have classified the ways to use these weapons; that is, the weapons and tactics we may use against a terrorist group are different from the weapons we may use in an equal or unequal battle.”
He added that today, the power of Iran’s missile systems in the Aviation Force is tremendous.
“We have a variety of guided missiles, and from very long distances we can fire our missiles to hit the enemy. On the other hand, we are combining weapons with night vision systems so that we can strengthen our combat capability at night,” he continued.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Qorbani said the Army Aviation has put the issue of self-protection on the agenda and is working on it to protect helicopters and pilots.
“We had successful tests. This is one of the necessities of our work, and thank God, we are focusing on self-protection to equip our helicopters with self-protection system.”
He underscored that at the time of natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, etc., it is the Army Aviation that creates air communication when the roads are closed.
“During the Kermanshah earthquake, we carried out 500 sorties till midday, which was unprecedented in the world. In the floods of Golestan and Lorestan, where all roads were closed, it was the Army Aviation that helped the people. That’s why we say the Army Aviation is really useful. Today, we are covering 18 provinces of the country in the form of air emergencies. In various elections, it is the Army Aviation that transfers ballot boxes to hard-to-reach areas,” concluded General Qorbani.
Daryabandari began his translation career at the age of 18 with short works by William Faulkner.
Translation of some of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpieces, such as “Farewell to Arms” and “The Old Man and the Sea” are among his masterworks.
Other works by Najaf Daryabandari include the translation of “The Prophet and the Madman” by Gibran Khalil Gibran, “Ragtime” and “Billy Bathgate” by Edgar Lawrence Doctorow, “A Rose for Emily” and “As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner and ” A History of Western Philosophy ” by Bertrand Russell.
Daryabandari received the Thornton Wilder Prize from Columbia University for translating American literary works.
In 2017, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) named Daryabandari as a “Living Human Treasure”.
Shahla Khosravi, advisor to Health Minister in Midwifery Affairs, said it is not known yet why the babies are infected with coronavirus.
Khosravi mentioned it must be studied why the coronavirus passes from mother to fetus.
She also added that 500 pregnant women with corona disease have been hospitalised across the country, but fortunately they all have recovered.
“In addition to these 500 women there were about 200 outpatients whose health conditions improved too.”
Speaking at a video press conference on Sunday, she also added that at the beginning of the corona epidemic midwives volunteered to care for corona patients, and the hospitals that were designated for childbirth were given more workload.
“The greatest role of midwives in this crisis was the triage of pregnant women while suspicious mothers were separated and referred to other hospitals. Midwives have been dealing with corona patients, so they had problems at the beginning, but these issues were resolved over time,” she added.
Elsewhere in her remarks, Khosravi congratulated the country‘s midwives on the World Midwifery Day, which is annually marked on May 3.
According to Khosravi, midwifery is a very tough job because they have to control the mother’s anxiety and stress and take care of her health.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, these people had to manage their own stress and reduce the stress of the mothers at the same time. The midwives had to treat the patient in such a way that the mother could tell her symptoms, she underlined.
As Khosravi put it, 240 midwives tested positive for the coronavirus and 40 to 50 people were hospitalised so far.
“Unfortunately three of our colleagues lost their lives and I offer my condolences to the families of these people.”
“One of the problems we had with corona was that pregnant women were worried about going to hospitals, but we launched telephone midwifery counseling in most medical centres. Mothers’ worries caused them to refer to hospital later, and the number of births in our emergency room was higher than before,” she underlined.
In an interview with IRNA on Monday, Sattari said details of the process of exporting COVID-19 serology-based testing kits to Germany and Turkey will be finalized under the Health Ministry’s supervision within the next couple of weeks.
The serology coronavirus test kits have been produced by the Iranian knowledge-based companies and have obtained export certification from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, he noted.
The vice president said Iran has attained such level of self-sufficiency in the production of COVID-19 serology test kits that there is no limitation to the export of the product to the other countries.
Sattari further noted that Iran has the capacity to carry out one million coronavirus diagnostic tests each day with domestically-made test kits.
The vice-president has already announced that the Iranian knowledge-based companies have manufactured an abundant supply of medical equipment, saying the country can even export those devices, with permission from the Health Ministry, to the other counties in autumn, when the second wave of the virus is expected to hit the world.
Spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Dr Sirus Asgari, who has reportedly contracted COVID-19 will return to his home country as soon as possible.
Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said the ministry has taken steps to follow up on his situation, while the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington is closely monitoring his situation through US judicial officials.
“He is going to go through a corona test today and tomorrow, and God willing, if his test is negative, all the necessary measures will be taken to return him to the country,” added Mousavi.
In similar conments, Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei also said Monday that the scientist will be released soon if he tests negative for the virus.
Earlier, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Science, Research and Technology said Sirus Asgari, who is infected with the coronavirus in a US prison, has been treated.
Hossein Salar Amoli added any move taken by the ministry of science to release Asgari from prison is carried out through the Islamic Republic of Iran’s mission in New York.
Last week, the deans of Sharif University of Technology, Allameh Tabatabai University, Imam Khomeini University, the Polymer Research Institute and the University of Applied Sciences wrote to 250 international university deans to talk about this US move and the double oppression of the Iranian people, underlined Salar Amoli.
“This move by the United States is against all the legal rights of a human. Iran is currently facing double oppression while fighting against the Coronavirus.”
Iran’s Minister of Science, Research, and Technology Mansour Gholami had earlier announced there are several Iranian researchers being controlled with electronic handcuffs in the US and Canada.
Asgari, a professor of material sciences at Sharif University of Technology, has remained locked up in the US despite having been acquitted in a sanctions trial.
He was detained in the United States in mid-2017. The FBI alleged the scientist had shared information about a project he had carried out on a sabbatical in the US five years before with his students.
US authorities then charged him with covering up information in the process of visa application, circumventing the sanctions, and transferring technology to Iran.
In remarks at a Sunday session of the cabinet of ministers, President Rouhani praised the Iranian medical staff and the production sector for their great contribution to the fight against COVID-19.
The president also called on people to keep observing the health protocols and instructions to contain the spread of the coronavirus and help reduce the fatality rate from the infectious disease.
President Rouhani further expressed satisfaction with the country’s preparedness to export the medical supplies and equipment for coronavirus battle, and issued the necessary directives on the export of those products.
Elsewhere in the cabinet session, Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki gave a report on the morbidity and mortality rate from COVID-19 in Iran and about the country’s industrial capabilities to produce the medical supplies and equipment for containing the outbreak.
The cabinet of ministers further ratified a number of measures and plans, including the measures passed by the Women and Family National Headquarters on the criterion for family life.
The administration also ratified the statute of the Fund for Promotion of Handicrafts and Hand-Woven Carpets and Revival and Exploitation of Historic and Cultural Sites as part of efforts to support the handicrafts masters and artists.
Upon another decision by the cabinet of ministers, the air pollution control equipment that the government of Japan has donated to the Municipality of Tehran would be exempted from value-added tax.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said the United States has proved it does not adhere to any of its international obligations, and violates its obligations wherever its interests are at stake.
In a press briefing held through video conference on Monday, Mousavi added amid the corona prevalence where everyone should support the World Health Organisation, the US regime is rudely threatening this international body at this critical stage, thrratening to cut off its budget.
Referring to the anniversary of the withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the foreign ministry spokesman said Washington withdrew from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018, and somehow violated this multilateral agreement; therefore, it is not a member of this agreement anymore.
“The United States has a long-standing record of non-compliance with its international obligations. It is a regime that has no commitment to the rule of law in international relations and is the most important violator of international law.”
In response to a question, the foreign ministry spokesman noted the JCPOA has had various achievements including the lifting of arms embargo.
“By illegally withdrawing from the nuclear deal, the United States is after undermining all of the accord’s achievements, and they imagine they can do so,” reiterated Mousavi.
He said the Islamic Republic is in touch with the other parties to the deal and is certain that Washington will not succeed in extending Iran’s arms embargo.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to extend an arms embargo on Iran that is scheduled to be lifted in October in accordance with stipulations in the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal.
Churat Lake is located between Sari and Kiasar in Manzandaran province, northern Iran. It was created in 1318 after an earthquake that blocked the way of a neighbouring spring water.
Situated in the gap of a high-slope valley, the lake is surrounded by pristine forests and old trees, and has a long oval shape. Its depth varies depending on the amount of seasonal rainfalls.
The car routes to Churat Lake are closed at the moment because of the coronavirus outbreak; so you have to walk a long way to reach it. Also, all the roads around the lake are completely flooded due to the rising water, and it is not possible to promenade in the area.
What follows are ISNA’s photos of Churat Lake this spring:
© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
