Corona in Iran; 184 More Deaths and ‘Danger’ of Reopening Schools and Universities
Iran’s Health Ministry spokesperson announced 184 more deaths in the country from coronavirus. With these deaths, the official death toll from coronavirus in Iran reached 18,800 people.
Sima Lari on Tuesday, August 12, while announcing these figures, also reported the identification of 2,345 additional coronavirus patients in Iran, with 1,269 of them hospitalized.
According to her, a total of 331,189 people have been infected with coronavirus in Iran so far, and 3,983 patients with COVID-19 are under observation in severe condition.
Daily announcements of coronavirus figures in Iran continue despite serious doubts about the accuracy of these numbers, with independent sources reporting cases and deaths from coronavirus in the country are several times higher.
Ms. Lari also stated that the provinces of Mazandaran, Tehran, Qom, Golestan, North Khorasan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Alborz, Razavi Khorasan, Kerman, Semnan, East Azerbaijan, Central, Yazd, and Gilan are in red alert status.
According to this report, the provinces of Fars, Ilam, Lorestan, Hormozgan, Zanjan, Qazvin, West Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Hamadan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad are also in warning status.
Eiraj Harirchi, Deputy Minister of Health of Iran, also stated that the coronavirus transmission rate has become “3 to 9 times” higher.
According to Tasnim News Agency, Mr. Harirchi said in a television program that due to this reason, “70 percent” compliance with health protocols by the Iranian people is “not sufficient” and must reach “95 percent.”
He also added that Iran, unlike many countries in the world, due to “economic difficulties caused by sanctions and domestic economic problems, has never implemented strict conditions in shutting down the country.”
Given the proximity of the month of Muharram and concerns about an increase in the number of infected and victims due to participation in special ceremonies of this month, Saeed Namaki, Iran’s Health Minister, called for a month of Muharram “full of wisdom and insight.”
He added that for the Islamic Republic, “it is important that the enemy cannot say that the health system has fallen into stagnation or was itself part of stagnation.”
Alireza Zali, commander of Tehran’s coronavirus control headquarters, stating that managing coronavirus in schools “is not feasible,” said “any decision to reopen schools and universities is premature action and can be risky.”
Source: Radio Farda
