Iran Seeks to Avert New COVID-19 Wave: President
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – President of Iran Hassan Rouhani said his administration has focused efforts to prevent a new wave of coronavirus infections in the last two months of the current Iranian year (ends on March 20) in order to protect the tourism sector, hardly hit by the pandemic.
In comments at a meeting of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters on Saturday, Rouhani said the administration’s handling of the coronavirus conditions without a complete closure of businesses resulted in economic growth in the industrial and agricultural production sector, although the service sector still faces many problems.
He said efforts are under way to prevent a fourth wave of the pandemic in the last two months of the year to allow the tourism and service sectors get back on their feet and make up for the losses in the new year holidays.
The fact that Iran is outperforming the US and Europe in tackling the coronavirus pandemic should not make the country self-satisfied, because a failure to observe the protocols will result in dangerous and difficult conditions, the president warned.
The death toll from the coronavirus in Iran has surpassed 57,000, while nearly 1.2 million patients have recovered from the coronavirus infection so far or have been discharged from hospitals across the country.
Iran has started the human trial of a homegrown vaccine and has also granted emergency use authorization to Sputnik V, a coronavirus vaccine made by Russia’s Gamaleya Center.
