The spread of coronavirus in people under 10 years old in Iran has become "very worrying"

The head of the coronavirus response headquarters in Tehran province says, "There are traces of the mutated and dangerous virus in all provinces of the country," and the governor of Tehran also called the "increasing" prevalence of the virus in people under the age of 10 "very worrying."

Alireza Zali, head of the coronavirus countermeasures command in Tehran province, announced on Monday, March 8, that the mutated coronavirus virus has now been identified in all provinces of the country.

Emphasizing that "the rate of infection, transmission, and mortality of this virus is very high," he warned that Tehran has the most passengers than other provinces in the country during the Nowruz holidays, "which is the highest risk."

Mr. Zali emphasized that "as we get closer to the end of March, discipline and observance of social distancing in Tehran will decrease," adding that reports show that "in these current circumstances, children are more at risk."

Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpei, the governor of Tehran, also confirmed this on Monday evening and explained that "we are concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in people under the age of 10. In February, this rate was seven to eight percent in children, but now it has reached 11.1 percent and this rate is still growing."

The governor of Tehran added that previously the hospitalization rate of people under the age of 10 infected with coronavirus was 2 to 3 percent, which rose to 7 and 8 percent in February, and has now exceeded 11 percent.

Regarding statistics for all ages, Mr. Mohseni Bandpay also said that "in the second week of March, compared to the first week, hospitalizations in special beds increased by 4.7 percent and hospitalizations in regular beds by 17 percent, and of course, the death rate decreased by 3.7 percent."

Despite the fact that children are said to be "less" at risk of contracting the coronavirus, on February 12 of this year, news broke that more than a hundred children had died from COVID-19 in just one hospital in Mashhad.

In October, Hossein Kermanpour, director of the emergency clinic at Sina Hospital in Tehran, reported an increase in the number of children infected with the coronavirus, saying that out of 30,000 people under the age of 18 who have been infected with the virus, 300 have died so far.

Currently, children are classified as the last group to benefit from the coronavirus vaccine in most countries around the world. Concerns have also been expressed in Iran about vaccinating children.

Official coronavirus statistics in Iran have always been subject to doubt and ambiguity, and the Iranian Medical System Organization has estimated the actual number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Iran to be up to 4 times the official figures announced by the Ministry of Health.

Source: Radio Farda