Corona in Iran – Official Daily Death Toll Breaks Record: 346 Deaths; 25 Percent of Nurses Infected
The critical situation of coronavirus spread in Iran continues as, according to official statistics, the number of daily deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, October 26, reached 346 people, setting a new record.
According to the announcement by the Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic, in the past 24 hours, 6,968 new patients with COVID-19 have been identified in the country and 346 patients have died. Also, the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran so far has been announced as 581,824 people and the total death toll from this disease has reached 33,299 people.
The accuracy of the statistics announced by the Islamic Republic, like those of China and Russia, is highly disputed and based on available evidence and documents and contradictions observed in the statistics presented by various institutions, it can be said that accurate information about the actual number of infected and deceased is not being provided. The World Health Organization and even the research center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly have stated that the actual number of infections and deaths is several times higher than the official statistics in Iran. Some time ago, the Deputy Minister of Health of Iran, 8 months after the beginning of coronavirus, admitted that the actual death toll from coronavirus is between 1.5 to 2.2 times the official statistics. While Masoud Mardani, a member of the scientific committee of Iran’s coronavirus task force, considers the actual statistics to be 2.5 times higher.
The United States has warned about the cover-up and inability of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s authorities since the beginning of coronavirus.
Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, on Friday, March 19, in a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, considering the history of cover-ups by officials of the Islamic Republic, said that the Iranian regime is unwilling to provide information about the spread of the coronavirus and I am concerned that they have concealed important information.
The critical situation of coronavirus in Iran continues under conditions where government officials continue to impose severe media censorship. The newspaper “Jahan Sanat” was among the media outlets that was suspended in mid-August after publishing an interview with a member of the National Coronavirus Combat Task Force about the inaccuracy of Iran’s official statistics.
However, in the latest official statement, the Deputy Minister of Health of Iran announced that “up to a month ago, about 35 million people have been infected with coronavirus and we should know that about 50 million Iranians have not yet contracted this disease and are at risk.”
Holding a Religious Festival with Thousands of Attendees in the Middle of the Coronavirus Crisis
The holding of this ceremony was even described as “a crime” by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health.
Approximately 25 Percent of Nurses Infected with Coronavirus in Iran
According to official reports, so far approximately 25 percent of Iranian nurses have been infected with coronavirus and 3,165 nurses have taken medical leave and gone into a two-week quarantine.
This is while 694 hospitals in Iran are facing the coronavirus crisis. So far, 26,969 regular beds and 5,900 special beds have been occupied by coronavirus patients.
On the other hand, the situation in the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, East Azerbaijan, South Khorasan, Semnan, Qazvin, Lorestan, Ardabil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Bushehr, Zanjan, Ilam, Razavi Khorasan, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Alborz, West Azerbaijan, Central, Kerman, North Khorasan, Hamadan, Yazd and Kurdistan remains declared as red zones.
A hospital official in Tehran also stated that the situation in Tehran is “beyond red” and in one of the hospitals “we have even had up to 1,000 new hospitalizations in one night,” adding that “deaths of 300 per day have become normal and it is no longer surprising even though it should not be.”
Source: Voice of America
