Coronavirus in Iran: Death toll in some provinces has increased 10 to 20 times

According to statistics provided by the Iranian Ministry of Health, the daily death toll from coronavirus infection once again approached the four hundred mark on April 20. The number of deaths from December 26 to April 11 was below 400. Also, the number of new infections has remained above 20,000 since April 7.

Iraj Harirchi, Deputy Minister of Health, reported on the violation of quarantine rules by patients who tested positive for coronavirus and called them "suicide terrorists."

Many believe that the government's failure to impose timely restrictions and the slow vaccination process have contributed to the worsening situation in the country.

Multifold increase in the number of deaths 

In Tehran, the head of the city council's health committee has reported a six-fold increase in the death toll.

In Isfahan, a spokesperson for the University of Medical Sciences says the death rate has increased fivefold compared to last month.

In East Azerbaijan, the number of coronavirus deaths has increased 10-fold compared to the beginning of the year.

And in Markazi Province, the deputy health minister of Arak University of Medical Sciences announced a 20-fold increase in deaths from coronavirus in the fourth wave of the virus.

Masoud Mardani, a member of the scientific committee of the National Headquarters to Combat Corona, told Hamshahri Online: "We manage about 100 to 150 people a day who need hospitalization on an outpatient basis. Hospital beds are completely full, and if, for example, my own child gets sick, there is no room for him."

National holidays and business continuity

While many cities in the country are in a red (high-risk) state and, according to the guidelines of the National Coronavirus Task Force, only essential businesses are allowed to operate in these areas, the government's lack of support for businesses has caused a large number of non-essential businesses, such as hair salons, clubs, and a number of shops, to continue operating semi-secretly.

Previously, Alireza Zali, commander of the Corona Management Operations Headquarters in the Tehran metropolis, had said: "What we are seeing in the city is not a lockdown (complete closure) and we are playing with words."

Health Minister under fire

On Monday, a number of media outlets in Iran announced the launch of an impeachment plan against Health Minister Saeed Namaki on three fronts: "the spread of the fourth wave of COVID-19 and the increase in deaths, the lack of transparency in the spending of COVID-19 funds, and addressing the country's deprived areas."

However, Ali Karimi Firouzjaei, a member of the Presidium of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, denied this news in an interview with the "Khaneh Mellat" news agency, saying: "These claims are not true and such a plan has not been received by the Presidium."

Not long ago, Mohammad Reza Sharifi Moghadam, Secretary General of the Iranian Nursing Home, in an interview with the "Rokana" news and information website, referred to the deaths of seven nursing staff within a month, and accused the Minister of Health of being responsible for the deaths of nurses due to the inappropriate vaccination of medical staff and "the failure of a large part of the medical staff throughout the country to be vaccinated," and called for his trial.

Official statistics of Iran today

Ministry of Health statistics show that from April 19 to 20, 24,346 new patients with coronavirus were identified, and 398 patients lost their lives within 24 hours.

Many doubt the accuracy of the official statistics, and even the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced that the actual number of infections and deaths is several times the official figures. The Iranian Medical System Organization has also predicted, based on field surveys, that the actual number of victims is at least three times the announced figures.

Source: Voice of America