TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Fatemeh Rahbar, a newly elected member of the Iranian Parliament, died from catching the coronavirus. She died on Saturday, March 7, 2020. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, in another sign, the disease is spreading within state institutions.
Iran is one of the countries outside China most affected by the epidemic. As of Friday, the country had reported 4,747 infections.
After testing positive for coronavirus, Rahbar was transferred – to the Masih Daneshvari hospital in northern Tehran. When her health worsened, she then got connected to a medical ventilator.
Fatemeh Rahbar became the representative of the residents of Tehran in the recent parliamentary elections when she was elected. She is the first known female politician to die from coronavirus in Iran, Rahbar, was a member of the Islamic Coalition Party, a conservative political party.
The conservative lawmaker from Tehran, who broke the news, was not sure was she was part of the country’s official toll of 124 deaths from the virus, given on Friday. On March 2, Tasnim reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Expediency Council, intended to resolve disputes between Parliament and the Guardian Council, a governmental body that vets electoral candidates among other duties.
Iran’s administration on Thursday extended the closure of all schools and universities nationwide until the end of the current Iranian year (March 19) as the country is struggling with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Medical staffs in 21 provinces of Iran have been working tirelessly over the past weeks to contain the novel coronavirus that has originated from China.
Iran’s deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, and another member of Parliament, Mahmoud Sadeghi, have also said they have contracted the virus.
Several high-ranking officials, including the deputy health minister and five lawmakers, have tested positive for the coronavirus as the spread of the outbreak forced the government to call on people to stay at home.
