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Iran medical council says coronavirus crisis still developing

Iranian medical officials warn that COVID-19 could well plague the country for at least another two months.
Members of firefighters wear protective face masks, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as they disinfect the streets, ahead of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, March 20, in Tehran, Iran March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC23NF9FQH2G

Iranian health officials that the country could be fighting the novel coronavirus for at least another two months, if not longer.

The head of the Medical Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, said March 18 that while some officials have claimed that Iran has reached the peak of the epidemic, he does not believe it. He said, “We are still on an upward slope” and continued that if officials can convince Iranians to stay home and stop the spread of the disease, “the country can pass through the peak of the virus” by late March. However, he added, “If we keep moving on the current path … it will continue until [late May] or even longer.” 

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