According to Official Statistics, Death Toll from Coronavirus in Iran Reached 3,452; Concerns Over Return to Work and Crowded Public Places
Based on official statistics, the number of coronavirus cases in Iran on Saturday, April 5, reached 55,743. Iran’s Ministry of Health also announced the death toll at 3,452.
According to Kianush Jahanpour, head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health, 2,560 new COVID-19 patients were identified in Iran in the past 24 hours, and 158 patients with the disease lost their lives in the country.
Simultaneously with the announcement of these statistics, a large number of businesses and trades returned to work in Iran today, and images of crowded streets and public places have fueled concerns about further spread of coronavirus.
This comes after a World Health Organization official previously stated that the figures announced by Iranian authorities regarding coronavirus patients represent only one-fifth of actual cases.
It has also been reported that Islamic Republic officials have contributed to the increase in these figures by making wrong decisions since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Iranian authorities initially opposed closing religious sites in Qom and Mashhad and in late Esfand rejected requests for city quarantines and restrictions on travel.
Meanwhile, reports continue to emerge of ongoing concealment and reporting of figures lower than actual numbers in Iran. One member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Mashhad said on Friday that in Razavi Khorasan Province, the cause of death for hundreds of people with acute respiratory illness was recorded, yet for only a small number of them was coronavirus identified as the cause of death.
Furthermore, the Islamic Republic, which had previously requested international assistance to combat coronavirus, rejected the American proposal to help resolve the coronavirus crisis in Iran while also expelling members of the international organization “Doctors Without Borders.”
Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement on Monday, April 24 titled “Khamenei’s Lies About the Wuhan Virus Endanger People” regarding the Iranian regime’s lies and concealments regarding coronavirus.
In Mr. Pompeo’s statement, it states: “Khamenei’s lies, the leader [of the Islamic Republic], about the Wuhan virus are dangerous and place Iranians and people around the world at greater risk. The facts matter.”
The United States has repeatedly condemned mismanagement, endemic financial corruption, and the plundering of Iran’s assets by regime affiliates, considering them among the main causes of Iran’s problems and the dire welfare situation of its people. Among other things, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted several times about Islamic Republic officials, saying that instead of helping people, they have become embroiled in corruption.
Source: Voice of America
