Indian Mission sets up wellness facility in Qom to take care of COVID-infected Indian pilgrims

The India Mission, in collaboration with health authorities here, has set up a wellness facility in Qom to take care of coronavirus-infected pilgrims.

"The Embassy in cooperation with health authorities in #Qom set up a wellness facility to take care of and undertake 24/7 supervision of infected Indian pilgrims," the Embassy of India in Iran tweeted on Thursday.

"The hygienic facility, surrounded by greenery, has ample space for the pilgrims to walk around. Two full-time and eight part-time Indian student volunteers are helping out dedicated Iranian medical personnel in the effort," it added.

Iran has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, and things may get far worse, health officials have warned.

The death toll in Iran from COVID-19 infections surged past 1,000 on Wednesday after the largest single-day rise in the number of deaths since the infection broke out in the Middle East country, The Washington Post reported.

The first cases of the coronavirus in Iran were announced on February 19 in Qom.

As many as 255 Indians in Iran have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday. The ministry has also evacuated Indian pilgrims in four batches from the country so far.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Iran has the third-highest number of cases by country at a total of 17,361.

Globally, more than 214,800 cases and 8,732 deaths have been confirmed.