Official coronavirus statistics in Iran: The rampant spread of the disease is the "result of a strategic error"

The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health announced that 169 more people in Iran have died from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll from the virus to 19,331.

At the same time, the head of the coronavirus response headquarters in Tehran has announced that the rapid spread of the disease in recent months is the result of a strategic error, not just people's behavior.

Sima Lari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said on Friday, August 14, that 2,501 more infected people have been identified in Iran over the past 24 hours, nearly half of whom, 1,173 people, have been hospitalized.

Including these people, the official number of people infected with the coronavirus in Iran has reached 338,825, of which 3,956 are in severe condition and under intensive care.

There are serious doubts about the accuracy of the daily statistics announced by the Iranian Ministry of Health. Some experts and government centers have previously spoken of double or more of these figures and even "statistical engineering to suit certain interests."

According to the Ministry of Health, the situation in the provinces of Mazandaran, Tehran, Qom, Golestan, North Khorasan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Alborz, Khorasan Razavi, Kerman, Semnan, East Azerbaijan, Markazi, Yazd, and Gilan remains red.

According to this report, the provinces of Fars, Ilam, Lorestan, Hormozgan, Zanjan, Qazvin, West Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Hamedan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad are also on alert.

In her report today, Ms. Lari also noted that the epidemic of this virus is still accelerating and urged people to observe hygiene principles in order to break the chain of transmission of the disease.

Positions of Tehran's Corona Headquarters

The Ministry of Health's recommendations to the public are being repeated while Alireza Zali, head of the headquarters to combat the coronavirus in Tehran, has criticized the government's strategic error in recent months, saying: "If we do not take a realistic look at the coronavirus, we will lose public trust."

According to Mehr News Agency on Friday, August 14, Mr. Zali described the rampant spread of the coronavirus in recent months as the result of a strategic error in dealing with the outbreak of the disease, explaining that the strategic error was that "we only attributed this factor to the people, which was not the case in reality."

Mr. Zali is referring to some easing and lifting of restrictions after the initial peak of the coronavirus in Iran. In recent months, most of the recommendations from authorities have focused on observing physical distancing and health regulations by the people themselves.

The head of the coronavirus response headquarters in Tehran said in this regard: "People are forced to think about their livelihoods to survive and continue living, while haste in reopening could lead public opinion to believe that the disease has been extinguished."

At the same time, one of the deputy heads of this headquarters also announced a proposal to impose cash fines and deprivation of social services for individuals and guilds that do not comply with health protocols.

Ali Maher, deputy director of planning for the Tehran Coronavirus Task Force, said that this proposal was submitted by the Tehran Coronavirus Task Force to the National Task Force and, if approved, will be communicated for implementation.

While the debate over whether or not to hold Muharram mourning ceremonies continues among Islamic Republic officials, Mr. Maher urged people to "not participate in gatherings."

The three principles of hygiene, namely the use of masks, physical distancing, and frequent hand washing, are still considered the most effective method to combat the further spread of the coronavirus, but compliance with some of these principles requires the development and implementation of special regulations by governments in all countries.

Source: Radio Farda