Mar 18, 2020, 4 PM

Iran unveiled a commemorative stamp in mid-March to honor the medical professionals fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in that country.

By Denise McCarty

Iran has unveiled a postage stamp honoring medical professionals as frontline fighters of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in that country.

The unveiling was announced Wednesday, March 17, on an Iranian government website. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani unveiled the stamp as part of a cabinet meeting.

To the best of Linn’s knowledge, this is the first postage stamp in the world related to this coronavirus pandemic.

The new stamp from Iran is inscribed “National Heroes” in English on the lower left of the main design.

The design of this 18,000-rial commemorative shows four people and includes symbolic images based on electron micrographs of the coronavirus.

Three of the four people depicted on the stamp appear to be medical professionals wearing face masks. The fourth person, just to the right of the English inscription, appears to be a soldier wearing a gas mask.

On March 3, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced plans to mobilize 300,000 troops to help combat the coronavirus outbreak.

According to information on the website of the National Iranian Postal Company, the new stamp salutes “the sacrifices of the country’s medical staff as front-line efforts to fight the coronavirus.”

The website of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran reported on March 18 that the number of people in Iran infected with COVID-19 was 17,361. It also reported 1,135 deaths and 5,710 recovered and discharged from the hospital.

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