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Iran says it is exporting coronavirus diagnostic kits

Iran announced the export of its first batch of domestically produced coronavirus diagnostic tests to Germany, saying it is receiving similar orders from other nations plagued by the pandemic.
A man wears a face mask and a protective face shield as he checks a woman's temperature, to let her go inside the mall, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), after shopping malls and bazaars reopened in Tehran, Iran, April 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY? - RC2F8G9RTNFI

Expressions of patriotic praise filled several Iranian media outlets May 6 after the country said its first cargo of 40,000 indigenous COVID-19 testing kits had been exported to Germany. According to the Iranian vice president for science and technology, Sorena Sattari, the delivery was proof that Iran has reached a state of self-sufficiency for the domestic procurement of those kits. He also pushed the bar higher: Millions of such kits are planned to be sent overseas. 

The kits were developed by Pishtaz Teb Diagnostics, a company that has been focused on laboratory research and medical diagnosis tools since 1988. The company’s website doesn’t specify its affiliation and funding sources.

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