Corona Statistics in Iran; Health Minister Refuses to Explain Reason for Summer Surge
With 139 more deaths from COVID-19, the official death toll from the disease in Iran reached 20,264 people.
According to official statistics, the trend of coronavirus infection and resulting deaths appears to be declining. However, Saeed Namaki, the Health Minister, described the surge in the spread during summer as contrary to this ministry’s predictions.
Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, announced on Thursday, August 30, that 2,279 new COVID-19 patients were identified in Iran in the past 24 hours, of which 1,038 were hospitalized.
She said: “The total number of COVID-19 patients in the country reached 352,558 people.”
The accuracy of official coronavirus statistics in Iran has been questioned by domestic experts and some official figures such as some members of city councils and parliamentary representatives.
In another report, the Health Minister announced today that the surge in coronavirus spread during summer was contrary to their predictions.
Saeed Namaki said: “We thought we would have a calmer summer and face difficult autumn days with the simultaneous occurrence of COVID-19 and influenza, and we would have time for our colleagues to catch their breath in summer, but it didn’t happen.”
He also said that “we are not explaining the reason for this now and I am deferring the explanation to the future.”
Source: Radio Farda
