EpidemicsIran Notes More COVID-19 Cases as 2 from Diamond Princess Die
Iran yesterday reported three more COVID-19 cases yesterday, as the number of new infections jumped in South Korea and in Japan, amid several new Diamond Princess developments, including the first two deaths and a US government agency clash over the evacuation of infected passengers. Meanwhile, China reported 394 new cases of the new coronavirus illness, a sharp drop that follows a case definition change that includes only lab-tested positives among the confirmed cases.
Iran yesterday reported three more COVID-19 cases yesterday, as the number of new infections jumped in South Korea and in Japan, amid several new Diamond Princess developments, including the first two deaths and a US government agency clash over the evacuation of infected passengers.
Meanwhile, China reported 394 new cases of the new coronavirus illness, a sharp drop that follows a case definition change that includes only lab-tested positives among the confirmed cases.
Doctor Infected in Iran
Following a report yesterday of its first two cases, both fatal, Iran’s health ministry yesterday reported three more. Two are in Qom, the same city where the first two cases were confirmed, and one is in Arak, located about 92 miles southwest of that city.
CIDRAP reports that all three patients are Iranian citizens, and the ministry’s machine-translated statement said the patient in Arak is a doctor. It said health officials have proposed limiting visits to Qom’s holy shrine and other pilgrimage sites. Among other measures, the health ministry has also advised canceling seminars and conferences in Qom.
A health official was quoted in Iran’s state news agency as saying the patients whose illnesses and deaths were announced yesterday had not had any contact with foreigners or people who had traveled to China, Al Jazeera reported yesterday. It added that an advisor to Iran’s health ministry said testing is under way on suspected cases in several other cities, and that the state news agency reported that two people with suspected infections have been quarantined in Babol, located in northern Iran.
Many Korea Cases Part of Church Cluster
Since yesterday, South Korea has reported 53 more cases, raising its total to 104, and the country also reported its first death from the virus, according to the latest reports from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. South Korea now has the most cases outside China, excluding the Diamond Princess cluster.
Of the 22 most recent cases, 21 were in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, and 1 was in Seoul. Five appear to be part of a church cluster, 1 is from New Oriental Hospital in Seoul, and 13, including the death, are linked to Qingdao Daenam Hospital.
