The Chinese medical team in Iran has set "an excellent example of 'peer-to-peer' experience sharing," Maria van Kerkhove, technical lead for the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, told a daily briefing in Geneva.
by Xinhua writers Wang Jian, Li Rui, Chen Lin
TEHRAN, March 5 -- Virus knows no boundaries, neither does the human heart. As the COVID-19 outbreak intensifies in Iran, China has provided assistance to the Middle East country's fight against the epidemic.
Since reporting the first two confirmed cases in the central city of Qom on Feb. 19, Iran has been witnessing a furious spread of the novel coronavirus. The number of confirmed cases in the country climbed to 2,922 as of Wednesday, 92 of whom have died.
As the sanctions-hit country faces mounting pressure, China sent a team of medical experts there, in addition to donating nucleic acid testing kits and medical supplies.
EXPERIENCE SHARING
The team comprising five experts from the Red Cross Society of China arrived at Tehran on Feb. 29. Upon arrival, the experts said they would like to quickly grasp the epidemic situation in Iran, exchange experience on combating COVID-19 with the Iranian side, and promote bilateral cooperation on medicine and health.
On Monday, the medical team met with the Iranian Red Crescent Society to discuss how to prevent and control the spread of the virus in the country.
Maria van Kerkhove(R), technical lead for the Health Emergencies Program of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks at a daily briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 3, 2020.(Xinhua/Chen Junxia)
The Chinese team, along with experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), also discussed the role of quarantine in controlling the epidemic with Iran's health ministry on Tuesday, China's Red Cross Society said.
The Chinese medical team in Iran has set "an excellent example of 'peer-to-peer' experience sharing," Maria van Kerkhove, technical lead for the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, told a daily briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
When the COVID-19 epidemic broke out earlier in China, Iran offered support as well, including donating medical supplies.
