Iran’s vice President, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has tested positive for the novel COVID-19, a state owned newspaper reports.
She is the VP for women and family affairs. Her symptoms are said to be mild and she has not been admitted to hospital.
Ms Ebtekar is also known as the English-language spokeswoman “Mary” for the 1979 hostage-takers who seized the US embassy in Tehran and sparked a 444-day diplomatic crisis.
Iran has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths outside China. At least 26 people have died and there have been 254 confirmed cases, including 106 new infections.
Some 10% of those who have tested positive in Iran for COVID-19 – the disease caused by novel coronavirus – have died.
But the World Heath Organisation has said this relatively high fatality figure is largely down to mild cases not being picked up.
Iran has also banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, the state news agency IRNA said.
The announcement about Ms Ebtekar having coronavirus comes two days after the man tasked with spearheading efforts to tackle the outbreak in the country also tested positive.
-Skynews
