Severe COVID-19 Wave in Iran; Deaths in Tehran Triple

The Health Minister announced facing one of the most severe COVID-19 waves, and Behesht Zahra Organization reported a tripling of deaths in Tehran. The number of cities in red alert COVID-19 status in Iran has doubled, including Tehran and some major cities.

The fourth wave of coronavirus outbreak and COVID-19 disease, which officials and experts have been warning about in recent days, has engulfed a large portion of Iran much faster than predicted.

Saeid Namaki on Monday morning, Farvardin 16, at a meeting of the parliamentary health commission, describing the current state of coronavirus spread, said: “We have entered a new arena and I see this wave as much more severe than what some colleagues see.”

According to the “House of Nation” news agency, the Health Minister described the current state of the pandemic in Iran as “challenging times” that could have been prevented.

In a note published on his Instagram page two days ago, he strongly criticized officials for neglecting expert opinions and failing to prevent Nowruz travels.

The increase in the number of infected and hospitalized in recent days is mostly related to the traffic and shopping of Esfand month during Nowruz, and it was expected that the effects of travel, visits, and the Sizdah Bedar celebrations would gradually become apparent.

Aliresa Raisi, spokesman for the National Coronavirus Combat Headquarters, on Farvardin 14, referring to some provinces entering the fourth wave of pandemic and others on the verge of entering it, had predicted that the effect of Nowruz travels would be seen in a sharp increase in cases in the next ten days.

42 New Cities in Red Alert

It appears this is happening sooner. The National Coronavirus Combat Headquarters, with the publication of a new color-coded map of coronavirus conditions in Iran’s regions, announced that in the span of one day, 42 cities, including seven provincial capitals, have entered red alert (extremely high-risk) coronavirus status.

Seven-Fold Increase in Red Alert Cities Since Beginning of Year

Based on official statistics from the Health Ministry, the number of cities in red alert COVID-19 status on the first day of Farvardin was 12 cities, yesterday it was 47 cities, and now nearly 90 cities are in extremely high-risk coronavirus status.

Accordingly, the number of red alert cities has increased more than seven-fold from the beginning of this year to now and nearly doubled from yesterday to today.

This upward trend is also evident in daily statistics of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19. According to the Health Ministry spokesman, in the past 24 hours, 13,890 new cases of coronavirus were identified and 172 patients died.

Sima Sadat Lari says that more than 2,000 people have been hospitalized in the past 24 hours and nearly 4,100 people are under special care.

The number of hospitalizations among identified patients for the first time on Farvardin 8 exceeded the 1,000 mark since the end of Azar month, and has more than doubled since then.

The death toll among coronavirus patients had only been three digits in two days from mid-Bahman to Farvardin 13, but has remained above 100 people ever since.

Deaths in Tehran Triple in New Year

The Health Ministry does not regularly publish breakdown statistics of infections and deaths by province, but statements from local officials sometimes provide a clearer picture of conditions in different regions.

Saeid Khaal, CEO of Behesht Zahra Organization, on Farvardin 16 in a television interview announced that from the beginning of Tir month until the end of last year, the graph of coronavirus victims in Tehran was almost linear with an average of about 20 people per day, and this figure has now increased to about 60 people.

The CEO of Behesht Zahra described the situation as very concerning and said that all managers and colleagues of this organization have been in “crisis mode” again since yesterday.

Half of Cities in Red and Orange Alert

Currently, the capitals of 13 Iranian provinces are in red and orange alert (high-risk) status, and according to Iraj Harirchi, Deputy Minister of Health, 227 cities and towns in Iran are currently in these two statuses, which account for half of Iran’s cities.

Due to the beginning of a very severe new wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Coronavirus Combat Headquarters has announced new restrictions for cities in red alert status, including the capital.

According to the ISNA news agency, Gholamreza Abbas Pasha, in explaining these restrictions, said that all government offices and centers with essential work can employ a maximum of 50 percent and with non-essential work a maximum of 30 percent of their employees in person.

Also, holding all unnecessary meetings and gatherings is prohibited, and the maximum number of participants in necessary meetings should not exceed 15 people.

Previously, the entry of non-local vehicles from origin to and destination for all cities in red and orange alert status was prohibited.

Ramadan ceremonies, which begin next week, are another challenge that has raised many concerns. The National Coronavirus Combat Headquarters has allowed the holding of these ceremonies in yellow and blue alert cities, which given the sharp increase in red and orange alert cities in one day does not seem to be an appropriate criterion.

Source: DW