Harirchi: Entire Country in Red Zone of Coronavirus

Iran’s Deputy Health Minister warned about the increasing number of coronavirus cases and deaths across the country.

Iraj Harirchi said on Thursday, September 27, in an interview with Iran Television: “We no longer have green, red, yellow, and orange colors; we consider the entire country red and in a state of alert”.

Iran has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the Middle East. According to official statistics from the Islamic Republic, more than 413,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country so far, and 23,808 people have died from the disease.

However, these figures have been met with skepticism from some experts who believe the death toll may be higher.

Mr. Harirchi, regarding new waves of coronavirus outbreak in the country, said: “We are facing multiple waves, a sea of waves. We are a country that for several months has been experiencing over 100 deaths per day.”

Sima Lari, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Health, also announced on Thursday that 176 more coronavirus patients died in the past 24 hours. During the same period, 2,815 other cases of the virus were identified.

Of the 2,815 newly identified cases in the past 24 hours, 1,628 patients have been hospitalized in hospitals across the country.

Mr. Harirchi says that if there is no reduction in traffic and physical contact, and if mask usage does not increase, the total number of coronavirus victims in the country could reach 45,000, meaning more than 200 deaths per day.

He noted that however, if mask usage reaches 95 percent and traffic volume is cut in half, deaths will decline.

Mr. Harirchi also said that Iranian citizens, instead of “pursuing and demanding and discussing and making unfounded claims” about medicine and vaccine, should spend their time encouraging themselves, their families, and society to strictly follow coronavirus prevention guidelines.

The deputy health minister added: “The coronavirus has no ideology; any social contact that does not follow the guidelines can be dangerous.”

The issuance of permits for Muharram mourning ceremonies along with the reopening of schools has sparked concerns about further spread of the coronavirus in Iran.

Mr. Harirchi further stated that the number of students in the country is 14.5 million, and the number of teachers is 1.2 million, and considering service personnel, drivers, and parents, about one-fifth of society consists of these people, and if guidelines are not followed, students can be a significant factor in transmitting the virus throughout society.

The spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Health also said that cases and hospitalizations have increased in most of the country’s provinces, and in the current week, the number of cities with a red status has increased from 88 to 109 cities, and cities with a warning status has reached 108 cities from 90.

Despite doubts from independent sources about the accuracy of government statistics on coronavirus, officials of Iran’s Ministry of Health announce the number of cases and deaths on a daily basis.

Iranian government officials refrain from providing accurate, detailed, and specific statistics on patients and deaths, both at the level of the general public in various provinces and cities, and at the level of medical personnel.

Source: Radio Farda