Health Minister:

Coronavirus Death Toll Reduced by 25% despite US Sanctions

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki said that although Iran is facing sanctions and economic problems, the death toll from the coronavirus epidemic has reduced by 25 percent, while over 90 percent of patients have recovered.

News ID: 81132

Date: 17 May 2020 - 22:00

"The country which was in need, turned into an independent country in a short time, the medical gowns that we have here do not have European ones and are unique," Namaki said.

He reiterated that "although we faced sanctions and economic problems, our death toll was reduced by 25 percent, and more than 90 percent of our patients recovered".

"One of the main reasons for our differences with Western countries is that our nurses and doctors did not turn their backs on people due to lack of protective items," Namaki added.

In a relevant development on Saturday, an official with Tehran City Council said that Tehran University of Medical Sciences has registered zero case of death at hospitals affiliated to the university.

Nahid Khodakarami said that the increase in the speed of COVID-19 diagnosis can be the cause of drop in fatality rate of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, an official with Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) said that the country has got the capacity to produce 2.5 million three-ply face masks daily to contribute to the fight against coronavirus.

“Earlier the capacity for mask production was 600,000 but now it has reached a four-fold increase of 2.5 million,” Seyed Hossein Safavi said.

Moreover, Iranian scientists at Amir Kabir University of Technology working for a knowledge-based company developed a new system to improve contacts between physicians and patients, especially those infected with coronavirus, to follow up the treatment and support process.

“The system runs on two platforms to provide service; an application and a website, through which the patients receive recommendations proper to their disease and can send their questions to the physicians and receive responses,” Bahar Mazandarani, the CEO of the knowledge-based company, said on Saturday.

She added that doctors can also access the latest information about the situation of their patients via the application and website and give better services.
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