The new coronavirus infection has killed two elderly Iranian citizens, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on February 19.
Citing Ali-Reza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the country’s health minister, IRNA says both victims had been carrying the coronavirus and were located in Qom, about 140 kilometers south of Tehran.
IRNA said later that schools and universities in Qom would be closed so an investigation could take place.
According to Iran’s ISNA news agency, Iranian authorities earlier Wednesday confirmed two cases of the coronavirus infection, the first in the country. Officials later said the two patients had died.
ISNA quoted an official with the country’s health ministry, Kiyanoush Jahanpour, as saying that “since last two days, some suspected cases of the new coronavirus were found.”
Iran has applied safety measure on arrival flights at its airports to control a possible spread of the virus.
Iran's Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani on February 20 called for immediate measures to counter outbreak of coronavirus after two cases were confirmed in Qom.
According to IRNA, Larijani, made the remarks in his telephone conversation with minister of health.
He emphasized the importance of taking immediate and preemptive measures to fight deadly virus.
Larijani also called minister of education to tell him to give advice to the students and their parents about how to deal with the issue.
The new virus emerged in China in December. Since then, more than 75,000 people have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported, mostly in China, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The new virus comes from a large family of what are known as coronaviruses, some causing nothing worse than a cold. It causes cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever, and in more severe cases, shortness of breath. It can worsen to pneumonia, which can be fatal.
First detected in China, the virus is believed to have originated in a type of wild animal sold at a Chinese market to be consumed as food.
