Deaths of Two Coronavirus Patients Confirmed in Qom | Medical Official: Avoid Gatherings
Iranian medical authorities have finally confirmed the deaths of two residents of Qom from coronavirus infection. After months of denial, the Iranian Ministry of Health authorities confirmed on Wednesday, February 19, that initial tests for two suspected individuals were positive, and hours later, following widespread reports of their deaths on social media, they were forced to acknowledge the cases.
The head of Qom University of Medical Sciences also reported the identification of an increase in “respiratory diseases over the past three to four days,” two of which have resulted in deaths.
He advised the public to “avoid attending gatherings” and warned against wearing masks “because the mask itself can be a source of infection.”
This announcement comes as Saeed Namaki, Iran’s Health Minister, again stated two days earlier that there had been no cases of coronavirus infection in Iran.
Also yesterday, a letter attributed to the Interior Minister was published in some media outlets requesting that Saeed Namaki postpone the publication of news regarding suspected cases or deaths related to coronavirus until after the parliamentary elections; however, the Health Minister denied the letter and called it a forgery.
Previously, Iranian authorities did not provide transparent reports on the treatment of coronavirus patients or those suspected of infection. The Health Ministry had only recently stated that approximately 9 suspected coronavirus cases had been identified in Iran. However, weeks earlier, the ISNA news agency reported in a photo report that two individuals suspected of having coronavirus were hospitalized in the negative pressure respiratory isolation ward of Shahidaye Yaftabad Hospital.
Also on February 13, a report from media close to the government stated that a woman “suspected of coronavirus infection” had died in one of Tehran’s hospitals. Iran’s Health Minister denied this report.
In recent days, unverified images had been circulated on social networks showing emergency personnel in protective clothing accompanying someone.
Following ambiguities regarding whether Iran’s flights to China were halted or not, as well as the concealment and lies of the Islamic Republic authorities regarding the shooting down of a Ukrainian airplane over Tehran’s sky, society has lost confidence in the government more than ever before.
The latest official statistics released indicate that the death toll from coronavirus has exceeded two thousand; however, there is still no accurate information about the potential quarantine situation and individuals suspected of being infected with this virus in Iran.
Source: Voice of America
