Coronavirus Spread Status in Iran; Daily Death Toll Rising

While official statistics in Iran indicate a relative decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients, the daily death toll remains high.

Iran’s Ministry of Health announced on Sunday, March 6, that 201 additional patients died in the past 24 hours and over 5,500 new cases were identified.

The number of patients currently hospitalized in intensive care units is reported to be 3,722.

With the addition of new cases, the total death toll from coronavirus in Iran has reached approximately 138,000 and the total number of infected cases has exceeded 7 million.

Statistics whose accuracy is seriously questioned by experts and physicians.

The Iran Medical System Organization previously assessed actual figures to be three to four times higher than the Ministry of Health statistics.

With the approach of Nowruz (Persian New Year) and related celebrations – from holiday shopping and visiting to Nowruz travels – health ministry officials have expressed concerns about the statistics rising again.

Hamid Souri, a member of the National Coronavirus Task Force, recently asked people to avoid traveling during Nowruz as much as possible and to follow health protocols.

Currently, 148 Iranian cities are in a red status for coronavirus spread, and 196 other cities are in orange status.

The Ministry of Health, emphasizing the necessity of adhering to coronavirus health protocols, announced that the current rate of compliance with health protocols in Iran is 58 percent.

Currently, the dominant coronavirus strain in Iran is “Omicron,” but according to Nader Tavallaei, deputy director of treatment at the Tehran Coronavirus Task Force, among hospitalized patients, individuals infected with the “Delta” variant are also observed.

In Iran, nearly 24 million people have received the third dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Source: Voice of America