Iran Corona Statistics; Rouhani Says ‘Government Fulfilled Its Promise on Vaccination’

Two days after Iran’s Deputy Health Minister apologized to the Iranian people for the government’s failure to keep its promises regarding coronavirus vaccination, Iran’s President said on Thursday that ‘we fulfilled our promise on the vaccination issue.’

Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s President, claimed on Thursday, July 22, that the government has fulfilled its responsibility regarding coronavirus as well as sanctions.

He continued by saying that with allocating 500 million dollars to purchase vaccines, ‘thank God vaccines are entering the country and domestic vaccines have also come to the market and we can say that in the coming week better conditions will be observed.’

Rouhani added that so far more than 9 million people have been vaccinated and 300-400 thousand people are being vaccinated daily, ‘therefore we can say that we fulfilled our promise on the vaccination issue.’

Rouhani’s remarks come after months of public criticism and protests over the lack of coronavirus vaccine imports and the slow pace of vaccination in Iran, when Iraj Harirchi, Deputy Minister of Health, acknowledged on Tuesday evening, July 20, that the Iranian government failed to keep its promises regarding coronavirus vaccination.

The Deputy Health Minister had said in a television program that ‘regardless of how much negligence and fault exists and to whom this negligence and fault belongs, I apologize to the people for not being able to fulfill the wider promises made about vaccination.’

Officials of the Islamic Republic, including the Health Minister and Hassan Rouhani, the President, have repeatedly promised either the production of domestic vaccines or announced the import of some non-Iranian vaccines over recent months.

However, criticism over the lack of vaccine imports began when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, announced that he had banned the import of American and British vaccines. During this period, a large number of countries using various vaccines have been able to achieve relative control over the spread of coronavirus in their countries, but Iran continues to face new waves of widespread coronavirus outbreak.

Official statistics from Thursday of the Health Ministry reported the identification of 20,313 new patients, of which 2,287 were hospitalized, and the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran reached 3 million, 623 thousand, and 840 people.

On this basis, 226 people have lost their lives in the past 24 hours and the total number of coronavirus deaths in Iran has reached 88 thousand and 63 people.

These figures are always disputed and Iran’s Medical System Organization has estimated the actual number of coronavirus victims in Iran to be 3 to 4 times the official figures announced by the Health Ministry.

According to the Health Ministry’s announcement, so far 7 million, 339 thousand, and 804 people have received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine and 2 million, 334 thousand, and 317 people have received the second dose, and the total number of vaccines administered in the country has reached 9 million, 674 thousand, and 121 doses.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Hassan Qousian Moghadam, Secretary General of the Red Crescent Society, announced the arrival of the eighth consignment of vaccines prepared by the Red Crescent Society and said that on Thursday, July 22, the eighth consignment of vaccines prepared by the Red Crescent Society was placed at the disposal of the Health Ministry for rapid distribution.

According to the Secretary General of the Red Crescent Society, in this phase 1 million, 130 thousand, and 400 doses of vaccine entered the country, and with the arrival of this consignment, a total of 9 million, 304 thousand, and 800 doses of vaccine have been imported into the country by the Red Crescent Society.

Simultaneously, the Director of the Medical Education Assessment Center of the Health Ministry reported the absence of more than 40 percent of applicants in the Master’s entrance exam in medical sciences fields on the first day of the exam and said that 16 thousand and 58 applicants registered on the first day of the exam, of which 40 percent were absent from the exam session.

Saeed Hashemi had announced one day earlier that 435 applicants of the Master’s entrance exam in medical sciences fields have contracted coronavirus.

The Master’s entrance exam for the medical group for the year 1400 will be held from Thursday, July 22, and will continue until Friday, August 1, 1400.

Based on the latest color-coding announced regarding the coronavirus situation in the country, 232 cities are in red status, 117 cities are in orange status, and 99 cities are in yellow coronavirus status.

Source: Radio Farda