Online portal to schedule medical checks launched

Manama

The Ministry of Health has announced the launch of an online registration portal to ease the process of scheduling medical examinations for individuals who have returned from Iran in February, before Iran had announced its COVID-19 pandemic. 

The website can be accessed via: www.moh.gov.bh/444. The Ministry of Health highlighted that, along with the newly-introduced website, the 444 hotline number is also available to individuals who have returned from Iran during the month of February and need to schedule appointments. The ministry emphasised that all the individuals returned from Iran during the month of February should isolate themselves until their scheduled appointment, follow the instructions given to them by the specialised medical team and avoid interacting with others to ensure the health and safety of their families and the community.

Fears are growing across the Middle East that coronavirus has infiltrated a main pilgrimage route, which could lead the deadly pathogen to vulnerable refugee populations, causing perhaps unprecedented public health crises across the region. Concern is centred on the Iranian shrine city of Qom, which is thought to be a hub of the disease and the likely source of its spread elsewhere in the country and in neighbouring states, where infected travellers have been diagnosed in recent days. Situation in Iran is much more dire than official statistics suggest, according to a report in the BBC. The report indicates that there have been 210 deaths in Iran due to Corona virus. This would mean the number of coronavirus cases in the country would be more than 10,000.

This leads to more cause of concerns for people who returned from Iran in past month. This comes as 2,000 people have already returned to the country from Iran while many more will be brought back soon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it has begun implementing an evacuation plan for Bahraini nationals in Iran including screening and quarantine procedures, in response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across Iranian cities. “Over 200 people in Iran have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease,” sources in the country’s health system have told BBC Persian.

Most of the victims are from the capital, Tehran, and the city of Qom, where cases of Covid-19 first emerged. “The figure is six times higher than the official death toll of 34 given by the health ministry earlier on Friday. The ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour insisted it was being transparent and accused the BBC of spreading lies. “It comes after a member of parliament for Qom accused the authorities of a cover-up and the US expressed concern that they may not be sharing information,” the BBC reported.