Coronavirus Alert in Iran; New Peak in 15 Provinces

272 people died from coronavirus in 24 hours. Health authorities are complaining about the continuation of travel and movement. The head of Sina Hospital warned that deaths could exceed war casualties. There are no empty beds in hospitals.

Minoo Mohraz, a member of the scientific committee of the National Coronavirus Combating Headquarters, reported the dire situation of coronavirus spread and the filling of hospital capacity. He asked people to follow health protocols and consider avoiding travel and movement as a social responsibility.

Dr. Mohraz emphasized that the disease chart is rising “terrifyingly” and action should be taken so that hospitals can accept patients: “For the past few days, the death toll from coronavirus has been more than 200 cases, and if these conditions continue, the mortality rate will increase. Unfortunately, some patients do not even reach hospitalization, and the situation is very critical.”

According to the latest official statistics until noon on Monday, October 12, 504,281 people in Iran have been infected with coronavirus and 28,816 people have died. The mortality rate in the past 24 hours was announced as 272 people, which is a new record.

ISNA reported quoting Minoo Mohraz: “The virus mutated in June and its transmission power increased. He said: ‘Currently, the disease is not more severe, but the number of patients has increased significantly.'”

The head of Sina Hospital in Tehran also announced that the quota of coronavirus patients in this hospital has reached its peak and medical staff no longer have the capacity to admit the infected.

Dr. Mohammad Talebpour warned in a television program: “If this situation continues, we will have casualties equal to the Iran-Iraq War… all ICU beds in the hospital are 100 percent full and we don’t even have a single empty bed in the coronavirus section, but unfortunately the disease is increasing and this regret shows the lack of compliance.”

He emphasized that the way to fight coronavirus is not treatment in hospitals but health measures: “Taking health matters seriously is much more important than the work that exists in hospitals to treat patients who are at the end of the line.”

Warnings about travel hazards intensified while during the Arbaeen holidays, the entry of passengers to Gilan province had a 34 percent increase. The deputy dean of Gilan University of Medical Sciences, announcing a 25 percent increase in coronavirus hospitalizations in Gilan, warned: “In the next six days, we will see the results of recent travels.”

New Peak

Meanwhile, the Epidemiology Committee of Coronavirus Disease in Iran, after analyzing the trend of infections in the country in the week ending October 9, introduced “brief and stable” upward changes in 11 provinces. These provinces include Qom, Lorestan, Semnan, Ilam, Mazandaran, Khuzestan, Tehran, Kermanshah, Hamadan, East Azerbaijan, and Isfahan.

According to the chart announced by this committee, in 15 other provinces including South and North Khorasan, West Azerbaijan, Yazd, Kurdistan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Central, Razavi Khorasan, Alborz, Zanjan, Kerman, Gilan, Golestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Bushehr, an upward trend or the beginning of a new peak is observed.

The Health Ministry spokesperson in last Saturday’s press conference had said that the rate of compliance with health guidelines in Tehran province is 46 percent and lower than the national average, and according to surveys, mask usage by people in public centers and places is 59 percent and in public transportation vehicles is 50 percent.

The government places all responsibility for the severe increase in cases and deaths in recent weeks on citizens and makes no reference to its incorrect decisions regarding openings and failure to prevent gatherings and travel in the month of Muharram, which according to experts and the admission of health officials played an important role in this issue. In public transportation, due to the lack of buses and metro cars, congestion is usually to an extent that makes it impossible to maintain physical distancing.

According to the compulsory plan of “mandatory mask use from home to home” which came into effect in Tehran from Saturday, October 10, non-compliant individuals will be fined 50,000 tomans. Taxi drivers face a fine of 100,000 tomans if they do not wear a mask, and 20,000 tomans for picking up passengers without a mask. It has also been decided that sellers and service providers in commercial units, in addition to using masks, will only provide services to those who wear masks, otherwise they will be fined.

Hassan Rouhani said that these individuals will be warned in the first phase, in subsequent phases they will be fined 300,000 tomans and one million tomans, and in the fourth phase their commercial unit will be sealed.

Source: DW