Rise in Coronavirus Deaths in Iran Amid Conflicting Statistics

The coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Iran. According to official figures, 194 people have died across Iran so far; however, according to a Health Ministry official, over 200 people have died from coronavirus in Gilan province alone.

Iran’s Health Ministry announced updated figures on Sunday (March 9) on the nineteenth day of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, indicating the rapid spread of the disease.

According to reports from Iranian news agencies, Dr. Kianoosh Jahanpour, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, reported a high rate of epidemic expansion in the past 24 hours. According to the latest official figures, 743 new cases of COVID-19 were identified in the country based on laboratory results within just one day, bringing the total number of those infected with the disease to 6,566 people.

According to Dr. Jahanpour, in the past 24 hours, 49 new COVID-19 patients have died, and therefore the total death toll from coronavirus in the country has reached 194 cases.

The Health Ministry spokesperson expressed satisfaction that 2,134 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far.

In the latest Health Ministry report, Tehran, Qom, Gilan, Isfahan, Alborz, and Mazandaran provinces have recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases.

As most citizens have criticized and mass media have reminded, the official figures are not accompanied by sufficient transparency and clarity.

The latest evidence of this disorder is the statement by Mohammad Hossein Ghorbani, the Health Minister’s representative in Gilan province, who estimated the number of infected people in Gilan province at between 800 and 900 people in an extraordinary session of the health commission of the Rasht City Council, while the Health Ministry’s information center announced the number of infected people in Gilan province as 496 people.

According to a report by the Young Journalists Club affiliated with IRIB, Mohammad Hossein Ghorbani mentioned the death toll as “approximately 200 people” in Gilan alone.

The results of a poll conducted between March 3-5 by the Tehran Municipality’s Office of Social and Cultural Studies, published in the Hamshahri newspaper, show that most Iranians are dissatisfied with government information.

Based on the findings of this poll, approximately 63 percent of people do not have access to necessary health and medical supplies to combat the virus, such as masks and disinfectants, because these items are not available in the market and are offered at very high prices in the black market.

According to the same poll, most people criticize the fact that people do not have equal and fair access to health facilities and medical services.

The website of Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported the dire situation of more than three million Iranian women who are forced to work to make a living. The report states: “Concern about the health of women engaged in informal employment is very serious.”