An Iranian health official said 15 million people may have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the country’s outbreak in February, Iranian daily Radio Farda reported on Tuesday.
The estimate, which would mean one in five Iranians were infected, was drawn from serology tests to identify antibodies in patients who have recovered from the illness.
The figure represents 18.75 percent of the 81 million population of Iran, which on Wednesday recorded 176 thousand cases of infections.
“About 15 million Iranians may have experienced being infected with this virus since the outbreak began,” a member of the task force set up to combat COVID-19, Ehsan Mostafavi, said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki on Tuesday replaced the ministry’s spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpur, with Sima Sadat Lari, and advised the new appointee to refrain from “political games,” according to Radio Farda.
Jahanpur often got into heated arguments with journalists and social media users over different coronavirus statistics that he announced daily.
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Health official says 15mln Iranians may have had coronavirus
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Health official says 15mln Iranians may have had coronavirus
- An Official said 15 million people may have been infected with the coronavirus
- The health minister replaced the ministry’s spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpur, with Sima Sadat Lari
North Korea unveils image of leader’s daughter firing rifle
SEOUL: North Korea released a rare image on Saturday of leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor.
Kim’s daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including this week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju Ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope with her finger on the trigger, smoke rising from the barrel.
She was wearing what appeared to be a leather jacket, a garment often worn by both her and her father at major political events, symbolising authority and legitimacy.
KCNA reported on Saturday that Kim presented new sniper rifles to senior party and military officials, describing the move as a gesture of appreciation and “absolute trust,” without mentioning Ju Ae.
He then visited a shooting range with the officials, where he fired the rifle and took a group photo, it added.
South Korea’s spy agency said this month that Pyongyang appears to have started the process of designating Ju Ae as leader Kim’s successor.
By underscoring Ju Ae’s ability to handle and fire a weapon, the photos “suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
KCNA also said Saturday that Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong will head the party’s general affairs department — a role analysts describe as akin to a party secretary-general.
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.
Kim’s daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including this week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju Ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope with her finger on the trigger, smoke rising from the barrel.
She was wearing what appeared to be a leather jacket, a garment often worn by both her and her father at major political events, symbolising authority and legitimacy.
KCNA reported on Saturday that Kim presented new sniper rifles to senior party and military officials, describing the move as a gesture of appreciation and “absolute trust,” without mentioning Ju Ae.
He then visited a shooting range with the officials, where he fired the rifle and took a group photo, it added.
South Korea’s spy agency said this month that Pyongyang appears to have started the process of designating Ju Ae as leader Kim’s successor.
By underscoring Ju Ae’s ability to handle and fire a weapon, the photos “suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
KCNA also said Saturday that Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong will head the party’s general affairs department — a role analysts describe as akin to a party secretary-general.
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.
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