Official Coronavirus Statistics in Iran; Death of 63 More Patients, Warning about Situation in 7 Provinces

Iran’s Health Ministry spokesperson announced on Sunday, June 1st, the death of 63 more patients with coronavirus. According to official Health Ministry statistics, the death toll has reached 7,797.

Kianush Jahanpour also named the provinces of Isfahan, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Lorestan, Kermanshah, Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchestan as provinces that are in an “alert status” regarding coronavirus spread.

Regarding the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran, he also reported the identification of 2,516 new coronavirus cases in the country and said the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran has reached 151,446.

The Health Ministry’s coronavirus statistics in Iran are being released while previously some parliamentary representatives and members of city councils had accused the Health Ministry of concealing statistics about deaths and coronavirus cases.

The Research Center of Parliament had previously estimated the number of deaths to be twice and the number of patients to be 8 to 10 times the Health Ministry’s figures.

The Health Ministry spokesperson also reported in today’s press briefing the recovery of 118,848 patients and said 2,527 patients are under special care.

20 Cities in Khuzestan in Red Status, Alarm Bells in West Azerbaijan

Mohammad Alavi, Deputy Health Officer of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, said that of 28 cities in Khuzestan Province, 20 cities are in “red status” regarding coronavirus spread.

According to IRNA, he named “public gatherings before Eid al-Fitr and presence in markets” as the main factors for coronavirus spread in the province and said that according to provincial officials, if “conditions worsen, we will reimpose restrictions.”

IRNA news agency also reported that Javad Aghazadeh, Head of West Azerbaijan University of Medical Sciences, wrote that “the alarm bell for the second peak” of coronavirus has sounded in the province.

This local official did not provide statistics on the coronavirus situation and said: “Over the past week or so, there has been a significant increase in coronavirus cases in the province.”

On the other hand, Morad Ali Tatar, Governor of Qasr-e Shirin, also referring to a “concerning” increase in coronavirus cases, said: “In recent days we have faced a surge in coronavirus in the country and some provinces, including Kermanshah, are in alert status.”

57 Percent of Tehran Residents Maintain Social Distancing

Anushiravan Mohseni Bandpei, Governor of Tehran, also told ILNA news agency that on average across the country 82 percent of people have maintained social distancing, but in Tehran this figure is “57 percent.”

He also mentioned a shortage of facilities in the capital and said that the province “has health and medical facilities indicators lower than the national average.”

According to Tehran’s governor, despite such problems, the percentage of recovered patients is “higher than the national average” and the mortality rate from coronavirus in Tehran is “lower than the national average.”

Deputy Health Minister: Our Greatest Fear is the Normalization of Coronavirus

Alireza Raisi, Deputy Minister of Health of Iran, said our greatest fear is the “normalization of coronavirus” which is “much more dangerous” than the coronavirus itself.

Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, June 1st, referring to the fact that in some cities and provinces social distancing is not being observed, he said regarding compliance with health protocols, “the worst city was Tehran. The province with the least compliance with protocols in the south was Khuzestan Province.”

Source: Radio Farda