Coronavirus outbreak in Iran: Increasing number of daily deaths

While official statistics in Iran indicate a relative decrease in the number of people infected with COVID-19, the daily number of victims remains high.

The Iranian Ministry of Health announced on Sunday, March 6, that 201 more patients lost their lives in the past 24 hours and more than 5,500 patients were identified.

The number of patients currently hospitalized in intensive care units has been announced as 3,722.

Including the new cases, the total number of deaths due to coronavirus in Iran has reached about 138,000 and the total number of infected people has reached over seven million.

A statistic whose accuracy and precision is seriously questioned by experts and doctors.

The Iranian Medical System Organization had previously estimated the actual figures to be three to four times higher than the Ministry of Health figures.

As Nowruz and its related ceremonies approach - from Eid shopping and sight-seeing to Nowruz trips - Ministry of Health officials are expressing concern about the statistics rising again.

Hamid Suri, a member of the National Headquarters for Combating Coronavirus, recently called on people to avoid traveling during Nowruz as much as possible and to follow health guidelines.

Currently, 148 cities in Iran are in the red status of the coronavirus outbreak, and the status of 196 other cities is orange.

Emphasizing the need to comply with health guidelines related to the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health announced that the current rate of compliance with health guidelines in Iran is 58 percent.

Currently, the dominant strain of coronavirus in Iran is "Omicron", but according to Nader Tavakoli, deputy head of medical services at Tehran's Coronavirus Response Headquarters, people infected with the "Delta" strain are also seen among those hospitalized.

In Iran, nearly 24 million people have received the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Source: Voice of America