Simultaneous rotation of Delta and Omicron in some regions of Iran
COVID-19 continues to rage in Iran. More than 25,000 new cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours. Children's hospitals in Tehran are on high alert.
The Public Relations and Information Center of the Iranian Ministry of Health announced that in the 24 hours ending on February 16, 2020, based on definitive diagnostic criteria, 25,034 new patients with COVID-19 were identified in the country, of which 2,768 were hospitalized.
Thus, the total number of people infected with this disease in Iran has exceeded six million 860 thousand people.
The simultaneous circulation of the Delta and Omicron strains of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) could be one of the reasons for the increase in hospital admissions. According to the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health, 3,489 infected people are hospitalized in intensive care units.
The deputy head of the Tehran Provincial Coronavirus Headquarters estimated that 80 to 85 percent of cases in Tehran are related to the Omicron strain, and 10 to 15 percent of cases are infected with the Delta strain.
According to Nader Tavakoli, the possibility of lung involvement in patients with Delta is high. These people, as well as those with underlying diseases or high weight, or those who have not been vaccinated and become infected, may be hospitalized.
Tavakoli stated: "The infection rate is increasing in Tehran and we have not yet reached the peak."
He emphasized that the simultaneous two-way rotation of the coronavirus has made predictions difficult, but "we may reach the peak by the end of February and the first week of March."
A quarter of new cases are in poor condition
The deputy head of the Tehran Province Coronavirus Task Force also said that the number of outpatient visits in one day was about 18,000, of which 1,200 were hospitalized, and a quarter of them are in bad condition.
He announced the total number of hospitalizations in Tehran hospitals at 4,266.
Tavakoli called the coronavirus situation in Tehran a crisis and said that, despite this, there is no problem in terms of hospital beds.
According to him, the number of children infected with the coronavirus has increased and children's hospitals are on full alert.
He clarified: "15 to 20 percent of infections are in people under 10 years old. In general, unlike the old strains, 50 percent of hospitalizations are under 50 years old."
The highest death rate from coronavirus continues to be among people over 60 years of age.
In the 24 hours ending on February 16, 167 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded across Iran. With this, the total number of deaths from the disease has reached more than 134,000.
Currently, 247 counties are in red status, 112 counties are in orange status, and 89 counties are in yellow status.
Source: DW
