Deaths from Corona in Iran; Officials' concealment has increased public distrust

After the official announcement of at least five cases of coronavirus in Iran, and the deaths of two of these patients in the city of Qom, public concerns have increased amid distrust in Iranian authorities.

Officials of the Islamic Republic, who had previously not provided clear statistics on suspected cases of coronavirus infection in Iran and had emphasized that there was no coronavirus infection in Iran, announced on Wednesday, February 20, the infection and death of two patients with coronavirus within a few hours.

However, statements published in the Iranian media by the brother of one of the victims of the coronavirus in Qom about the disease have once again raised concerns about the authorities' cover-up.

Mohammad Molaei, a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Association of the Iranian Medical Society and the brother of one of the two people who died from the coronavirus, said in an interview: "During the week that my brother was in the hospital, no request was made for a coronavirus infection test for him, and on the last day, at my insistence and request, they took one and sent the coronavirus test to Tehran, and today the test result was ready, which was positive."

According to him, "Dozens of people have died with these symptoms in Qom hospitals, and the cause has been declared pneumonia [chest pain] and lung infection, and it is not really clear whether it was pneumonia, influenza, or coronavirus?"

The Rokna news site, one of the sites that published the interview, denied the news hours later, writing that a close acquaintance of the family said that Dr. Mohammad Molaei "did not hold any conversations."

Widespread denials, instead of providing clarity in information, have increased the wave of fear among the people. For example, following the publication of images of the presence of special units in Qom, officials first denied the presence of these units and then said that the presence of these units was for the purpose of holding elections and had nothing to do with the coronavirus.

On the other hand, a video was posted on social media showing a patient being transferred from an ambulance to Tehran's Farmanieh Hospital. This video was also denied by Iran's emergency services, and the public relations officer for the emergency services announced that the person had been admitted to the hospital and was transferred to Yaftabad Martyrs' Hospital, which is a quarantine center for coronavirus patients, due to suspicion of the disease.

These statements come despite the fact that the images show that the patient is not being transferred from the hospital; rather, he is being taken inside Farmanieh Hospital.

Another controversial denial by officials is about the cancellation of flights from Iran to China and vice versa.

According to information from Imam Khomeini International Airport, the last flight from China to Iran landed in Tehran on the morning of March 4, 2019. However, the Civil Aviation Organization has emphasized that there will be no travel from China to Iran and Iran to China.

The Iranian aviation organization changed its statement a few hours later, posting images of people wearing special clothing and face masks on its Telegram channel, saying that these flights were at the request of the Islamic Republic government to deliver "humanitarian aid."

On the other hand, despite the news indicating an increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus, there has not yet been a ban or restriction on attendance at religious sites in Qom. The Ministry of Health said in this regard that a proposal has been made to temporarily restrict pilgrimage sites in Qom, but the Qom governorate must announce it.

In addition to these statements, different statistics have been published on the number of people infected with the virus in Iran. According to unofficial reports, Babol, Rasht, Arak, and Tehran are among the cities where there are suspected cases of the coronavirus.

Also, the transfer of a suspected coronavirus patient from Tehran's Shush metro station to the hospital caused the metro station to be closed for several hours.

The issue of mask prices following the outbreak of the disease also faced contradictions. Hossein Safavi, Director General of Medical Equipment and Supplies, announced that there is no shortage of masks and that the supply price of masks has been announced to all production units and that the necessary supervision is being carried out on all stages of production up to supply.

However, social media users are reporting that the price of masks has increased after the news of the deaths of two people with coronavirus in Iran was published.

Concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in Iran have increased as parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held tomorrow, Friday, March 2, and the Ministry of Health announced that "there are no special considerations in this regard."

Given these circumstances and the authorities' history of concealing issues from the public, many users on social media have expressed concern about hiding true news from the public.

Previously, the concealment of the number of deaths and arrests in the November protests and the concealment of the truth about the downing of a passenger plane with 176 passengers on board had caused the public's trust in the words and actions of Iranian authorities to decline sharply.

Now, it seems that distrust in the government and leaders of the Islamic Republic has spread in Iran along with the coronavirus.

Source: Voice of America