Head of the Information and Public Relations Center of the Ministry of Health Kianoush Jahanpour

Tehran (IP) - According to the Head of the Information and Public Relations Center of the Ministry of Health Kianoush Jahanpour, initial tests have indicated two people have tested positive for the coronavirus infection in the city of Qom.

Iran Press/Iran news: Head of the Information and Public Relations Center of the Ministry of Health Kianoush Jahanpour announced that "An initial test of two suspected Coronavirus cases was positive and further tests are now being carried out to ascertain that it is coronavirus. The results will be made public as soon as possible."

He further noted, "In the past two days, suspected cases of Coronavirus have been reported in Qom. As soon as the report has been received, Infectious Disease Identification and management teams along with the Rapid Reaction Forces were deployed in Qom. Among the samples submitted, the results of two suspected cases of Coronavirus were positive and some cases also have type B influenza."

The new virus emerged in China in December. Since then, more than 70,000 people have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported, mostly in China.

The virus recently named COVID-19 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. Iran has adopted safety measures on flights arriving at its airports to control the spread of the new virus.

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