Health Ministry Deputy: Iran Will Be Dealing with Coronavirus Until Next Year

The situation in five Iranian provinces has been declared critical. Coronavirus infection rates in ten provinces are also on the rise. The possibility of reimposing restrictions in some provinces, including East Azerbaijan, has been raised.

The rising number of COVID-19 cases in many Iranian provinces has prompted warnings from government officials.

On Thursday, June 29 (June 18), a meeting of specialized committees for combating coronavirus was held with the presence of Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani warned officials at this meeting about negligence and shortcomings in combating the coronavirus.

Iran’s president described the consequences of insufficient monitoring in dealing with the spread of this disease in Iran as “regrettable” and “harmful” to the country.

Rouhani also called for information about critical situations in various cities and provinces to be released. It should be noted that the lack of accurate and detailed reporting of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths has hindered efforts to combat this disease.

Hassan Rouhani, while reiterating the importance of wearing masks and observing health standards, spoke about the possibility of imposing new restrictions in some areas of Iran.

Rise in Coronavirus Deaths

Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Health, announced on Thursday, June 29, an increase in COVID-19 cases in Iran.

According to a report published by Iran’s Student News Agency “ISNA,” approximately 2,600 more cases were added to the coronavirus infection count in the past 24 hours. 930 of the new cases have been hospitalized.

Based on figures from Iran’s Health Ministry spokesperson, the number of COVID-19 cases has reached 197,647. The same figures report 9,272 deaths.

It should be noted that based on unofficial statistics published by some media outlets, the death toll is higher than the figure announced by the Iranian government.

The situation in Bushehr, Khuzestan, East Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, and Hormozgan provinces continues to be declared critical. Meanwhile, the increase in cases in Golestan and Gilan provinces has also raised public concerns.

“Iran Will Continue to Grapple with Coronavirus”

Iraj Harirchi, Deputy Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, discussed the Health Ministry’s forecast regarding coronavirus spread in Iran in an interview with reporters from IRNA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic.

The Health Ministry’s deputy stated: “It is expected that the country will be dealing with coronavirus for the next year, and deaths caused by it will continue.”

Harirchi also announced that the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in ten Iranian provinces continues to rise. According to the Health Ministry deputy, the situation in these ten provinces has worsened over the two months of Ordibehesht and Khordad.

On the other hand, Aliyar Rastgoo, the Political and Security Deputy of the East Azerbaijan Governor, assessed the COVID-19 situation in the province as serious and said: “Due to the increase in cases and deaths from coronavirus in the province, coronavirus restrictions will be reimposed.”