Coronavirus: Iran minister tests positive, virus spreads in Europe, doubts over Tokyo Olympics

A clearly unwell head of Iran’s virus taskforce went on TV to insist the outbreak was under control. A day later, he tested positive himself.

A coughing and heavily sweating Iraj Harirchi, left, assured Iranians “the situation is almost stable in the country’’. A day later he tested positive for the illness himself.

European countries have upped their coronavirus preparations as a further four elderly Northern Italians died overnight and confirmed cases of the virus have now been detected in Croatia, Austria and Switzerland.

In Iran, the deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi tested positive for coronavirus, hours after he appeared on television wiping away sweat and coughing, to insist the Iranian government had the outbreak under control. Another Iranian parliamentarian, Mahmoud Sadeghi, is also suffering from the virus and said on Twitter: “My corona test is positive ... I don’t have a lot of hope of continuing life in this world.’’

Iraj Harirchi, Iran's deputy health minister, went on TV yesterday (left) to insist the Iranian government was getting the #coronavirus outbreak under control.

Today it was announced Harirchi himself has the virus. pic.twitter.com/dO0RgLyydk

— Raf Sanchez (@rafsanchez) February 25, 2020

In Iran, the official tally of coronavirus infections hit 95 with at least 15 deaths. Mr Harirchi warned there were as many as 900 suspected people infected with the virus before confirming his own diagnosis.

Mr Harirchi, who is the head of Iran’s government task force on coronavirus, had urged the public not to overreact about its spread. Mr Harirchi coughed and wiped sweat from his brow repeatedly during a news conference in Tehran on Monday with government spokesman Ali Rabiei.

At the time he denied a politician’s claim that 50 people had died from the virus in the Shi’ite shrine city of Qom, saying he would resign if the number proved to be true.

But a day later he confirmed: “I too have been infected with coronavirus. I wanted to tell you that ... we will definitely be victorious against this virus in the next few weeks.” But he warned Iranians to be careful as the “virus does not discriminate” and could infect anyone.

The latest wave of concern comes as the longest serving International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound warned that the coronavirus would have to be brought under some sort of control in the coming three months otherwise the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, scheduled to open on July 24, may be cancelled.

Mr Pound, a former Canadian swimming champion who has been on the IOC since 1978, estimated there is a three-month window — perhaps a two-month one — to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, meaning a decision could be put off until late May.

“This is the new war and you have to face it,” Mr Pound told Associated Press. “In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo, or not?’”

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound.

The Australian Olympics Committee said it had no plans to withdraw from the games, but would follow the advice of the games’ international organisers.

“There is no advice that the games would be threatened, cancelled or delayed. For Australian athletes their health and wellbeing comes first. We will take the advice from the government,” the CEO Matt Carroll told the Today show on Wednesday morning.

Mr Carroll said the committee was monitoring the training locations of its athletes.

The modern Olympics, which date to 1896, have been cancelled only during wartime. The Olympics in 1940 were supposed to be in Tokyo but were called off because of Japan’s war with China and World War II. The Rio Games in Brazil went on as scheduled in 2016 despite the outbreak of the Zika virus.

The sudden explosion in cases in Iran and Northern Italy has shocked European countries. Britains have been told to self-isolate if returning from Northern Italy, even if they show no signs of illness.

Italian authorities have confirmed there are 322 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country with 11 deaths. A person who lives on the border of Italy and Switzerland is believed to be the new Swiss case. Austria is considering whether to shut its border with Italy after the northern region has suffered a sharp outbreak of the virus in the past few days.

Ireland’s government has recommended the cancellation of next month’s Six Nations rugby match in Dublin with Italy.

British Health Minister Matt Hancock admitted “I am concerned’’. Around a dozen schools in Britain have ordered students extend their half term break for a further fortnight in self imposed isolation after travelling to the Italian alps for various school holiday excursions.

One school, Trinity Catholic College Middlesbrough has shut down for at least the rest of the week and preparing a “deep clean’’ after some pupils and staff showed mild-flu symptoms on Tuesday, just a day after returning from a school ski trip to northern Italy.

The school principal said in a statement: “There are a number of pupils and staff who have vulnerable family members and it is the school’s duty of care to put in place the most secure of measures to minimise any possible infection.’’

On the Spanish island of Tenerife, 1000 holidaymakers were under lockdown in a hotel when an Italian guest tested positive to the virus in preliminary tests.