TEHRAN- Army has produced unique equipment for diagnosing and countering COVID-19 in the shortest time possible. 

Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari, the Army ground force chief, made the announcement in ceremony inaugurating anti-coronavirus base in Tehran.

He said, “Our experts working for the army’s self-sufficiency department have planned and built several unique equipments which should go under test by the Health Ministry. If everything goes well the equipment will be a great achievement in rapid diagnosis of the novel coronavirus.”

He further said, “One of the army’s capabilities, which was unveiled in the ceremony today, was turning anti-bacterial liquids into fog to spray it over vast regions.”

“We enjoy anti-pollution systems which are currently utilized by our forces across the country,” the commander said, adding, “According to the pre-planned program, the Army’s Ground Force is in charge of sanitizing hospitals and medical centers in Tehran.”

On Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani, in a phone conversation with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, called on the entire nations worldwide to enhance cooperation to overcome the coronavirus outbreak. 

“Today, outbreak of the coronavirus has turned into a global problem, therefore, the entire nations and governments around the world should stay with each other to overcome the epidemic disease as soon as possible,” Rouhani underscored in his phone call. 

The virus first emerged in China in December last year and is now spreading in Europe and across the Middle East, sparking fears of a global pandemic. The virus is spreading rapidly in the region, with cases recorded in many countries.

The Iranian authorities have ordered the closure of schools, universities and cultural events in a bid to contain the outbreak. This is while free masks are being distributed among the people, with priority given to cities that have reported coronavirus cases.

According to the Health Ministry’s latest official data, totally 978 Iranian nationals have been infected by the virus, out of which 54 patients have lost their lives.

The virus has affected 27 out of 30 provinces in Iran.

MJ/PA