66 People died and 1500 infected from the coronavirus in Iran

On Mar 3, 2020

66 people have died from the coronavirus in Iran and more than 1,500 have been infected, a senior official said yesterday, as a World Health Organisation team headed to Teheran.

“The definite latest numbers we have are 523 new infections and 12 new deaths, so the total number of those infected is 1,501 until now and the number of deaths is 66,” Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi announced on state television.

Call for countries to prepare ventilators

GENEVA • The World Health Organisation on Sunday urged all countries to prepare for caring for patients severely sickened by the coronavirus by stocking up on ventilators.

The United Nations health agency stressed in its latest situation report on Covid-19 that “oxygen therapy is a major treatment intervention for patients with severe Covid-19”.

2 more cases in India bring total to 5

BENGALURU • India reported two more cases of coronavirus yesterday, taking the number of people who have tested positive in the country to five, and hammering already rocky stock markets.

One of the new cases was detected in the capital, New Delhi, while the other was in the southern state of Telangana, the government said in a statement.

Death sentence for killing at checkpoint

BEIJING • A Chinese court has sentenced a man to death for fatally stabbing two officials at a checkpoint set up to control the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

The virus has infected more than 80,000 people and killed nearly 3,000 in mainland China – prompting a wide network of temperature checks, travel restrictions, residential checks and closures nationwide.

Thailand reports one new case

BANGKOK • Thailand has reported a new coronavirus case, bringing the total number of such cases in the country to 43 since January, a senior health official said yesterday.

The new case is a 22-year-old Thai woman who works with another Thai patient – a Thai driver for foreign tourists – Mr Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, said at a news conference.