Coronavirus in Iran: 10,075 Cases and 429 Deaths

According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health, the number of coronavirus cases in Iran has crossed the ten thousand mark. 429 people have died from the virus, and 3,276 people have recovered.

Kianush Jahanpour, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, announced on Thursday, the 22nd of Esfand (March 12), the latest statistics on coronavirus cases in Iran and deaths caused by it. According to him, from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday, 1,075 new COVID-19 patients were identified in Iran.

Accordingly, the total number of people infected with this disease in Iran has reached 10,075.

Based on Jahanpour’s data, the total death toll from this disease in Iran has reached 429, of which 75 people died in the “past 24 hours.”

Jahanpour continued: “Fortunately, so far 3,276 patients with COVID-19 have recovered and been discharged.”

Whether or not recovered patients can be reinfected has not yet been proven. Many experts believe that such a possibility does not exist, but some have taken a precautionary approach and recommend that all citizens strictly follow hygiene practices.

Breakdown by Provinces

Jahanpour, regarding newly identified COVID-19 cases in provinces, said: “Tehran: 303 people, Qom 42 people, Gilan 84 people, Isfahan 4 people, Alborz 74 people, Mazandaran 79 people, Central 88 people, Qazvin 42 people, Semnan 40 people, Golestan 25 people, Razavi Khorasan 29 people, Fars 29 people, Lorestan 25 people, East Azerbaijan 7 people, Khuzestan 31 people, Yazd 21 people, Zanjan 17 people, Kurdistan 9 people, Ardabil 14 people, Kermanshah 20 people, Kerman 7 people, Hamadan 12 people, Sistan and Baluchestan 6 people, South Khorasan 12 people, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari 11 people, Ilam 7 people, West Azerbaijan 19 people, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad 15 people, Bushehr 3 people, and Hormozgan and North Khorasan provinces had no new cases.”

It is unclear why the Ministry of Health official chose this particular order for naming the provinces.

Comparison with Regional Countries

According to the Ministry of Health’s public relations and information officer, the number of laboratories has increased from 30 to 50 laboratories and can be increased to 70 laboratories. He emphasized that with the help of the private sector, this number could potentially reach 100 laboratories or 10,000 daily tests in the coming weeks.

Jahanpour stated: “Currently, laboratory capacity has reached six thousand daily tests. This is significant in comparison with neighboring countries, and in our region, there is no country with such a structured system for recording and identifying infectious diseases.”

This Ministry of Health spokesperson, while noting that the number of infected people is constantly increasing, stressed that to break the chain of transmission, 80 percent of measures are the responsibility of the people and public participation.

He also said: “Intervention measures by the health system are being implemented, which account for 20 percent in containing the disease. This virus has taught us the lesson that an individual is not just an individual but part of a group and family, and our health depends on the health of society, and we cannot isolate ourselves.”

Jahanpour, while recommending greater attention to the elderly and those with underlying diseases, stated: “This group is a high-risk group for contracting the coronavirus, and most of the people who died were over 60 years old and had underlying diseases. These individuals themselves should take greater care and precautions during the spread of the coronavirus.”

He called the complete closure of cities and gas stations a rumor and said what responsible officials recommend is reducing unnecessary gatherings: “In any city or province, if these scenes are observed, by next week we will face a surge in cases.”

Public Mobilization Against Coronavirus

The Ministry of Health’s public relations and information center official, regarding how people infected with coronavirus are being found, stated: “The Nowruz health mobilization that was held every year before the start of the new year will be in the form of public mobilization against the coronavirus. This coronavirus mobilization took on its form and structure after the initial days of Esfand month and has been implemented in 5 provinces where the coronavirus is more prevalent, and it has been designed, planned, and structured, and will soon be implemented in other provinces according to the prevalence of the disease, and will utilize the capacity of more than 52,000 health and medical personnel and other organizations.”

Jahanpour reminded that citizens can visit the salamat.gov.ir system for information about coronavirus and to ensure their peace of mind if symptoms appear.

Deutsche Welle attempted several times Thursday afternoon to access this website, but it was not accessible.

Source: DW