Story Of Iran's Deputy Health Minister Who Is Positive For COVID-19

Screenshot from Iraj Harirchi's video when it was not known that he had COVID-19 (Photo: Twitter @irishtimesvideo)

JAKARTA - Amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Italy, other countries in the Middle East are also experiencing the same thing. Iran is known to be one of the countries outside China that has experienced a high incidence of COVID-19. The news was even more concerning when it was discovered that the country's deputy health minister had contracted a virus that has killed hundreds of people in China.

Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, said he was positive for COVID-19. Harirchi is currently in isolation. The day before he had a fever during a press conference where he said mass quarantine due to COVID-19 was unnecessary. In Iran, 95 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed and 16 sufferers have died.

Deputy Health Minister of #Iran Harirchi who has been briefing officials & journalists in the past couple of days has been confirmed to be infected with #CoronaVirus. He said in a video message that “we will defeat Corona”. # COVID19 pic.twitter.com/sgtMiDMbcC

- Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) February 25, 2020

Reporting from The Guardian, Wednesday, February 26, 2020, Iraj Harirchi uploaded a video on social media and claimed he had contracted the virus. The news raised widespread fears that the outbreak may have reached a tipping point before authorities could determine the full number.

In addition, a video has also circulated showing that the most senior health official in Iran looks pale and sweaty. Citizens think that it is possible that the people around them have now been infected and must immediately get help or isolation so that the virus does not spread further.

This is # Iran's deputy health minister, who we now know has #coronavirus, giving an interview about # COVID19 on state TV last night. The anchor says to him "you are coughing" he says "maybe I should cover my mouth like this" pic.twitter.com/2A7xRrCkTv

- Ali Arouzi (@aliarouzi) February 25, 2020

Iran has become a focal point of concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in the Middle East. Iran's neighbors have largely closed their borders and suspended visiting routes to Iran. Schools and universities in many countries have closed.

Four new cases are suspected to have been diagnosed in the city of Kirkuk, Iraq, on Tuesday 25 February 2020. The number is expected to increase, perhaps substantially, in the coming days. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman also reported the first cases of COVID-19, all in people who had been to Iran.

Facing COVID-19, Kuwait banned the entry of all ships from Iran and suspended flights to and from the country. Kuwait also prohibits foreign nationals coming from Iran from entering Kuwait.

Some time ago Kuwait chartered flights to bring back hundreds of Kuwaiti Shiites who had departed from Iran to Kuwait. About a third of Kuwaiti's 1.4 million citizens are Shia Muslims, who make regular trips to Iran to visit religious holy sites. Kuwait also hosts about 50,000 Iranian workers.

Meanwhile, Turkey diverted a plane from Tehran, which was flown to Istanbul to Ankara, after 17 passengers reported having a higher than average body temperature.