Coronavirus crisis: At least 27 people in Ahvaz and Karaj fell victim to industrial alcohol consumption
A spokesman for Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences has reported an increase in deaths due to industrial alcohol consumption in Ahvaz. The news indicates that the number of patients suffering from alcohol poisoning has surpassed those suffering from coronavirus.
According to Dr. Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman for Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, 218 people have been admitted to Ahvaz hospitals due to alcohol poisoning as of Sunday evening (March 8), and 20 of them have died so far.
Farhad Abolnejadian, president of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, also stated regarding this incident: "A number of Ahvaz citizens, following rumors on social media about the effectiveness of drinking alcohol to ward off the coronavirus, purchased non-alcoholic alcohol and then started consuming it."
According to IRNA, the president of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences stated that "one of the poisoned people lost his eyesight and eight of them are hospitalized in intensive care units in Ahvaz hospitals," and emphasized that "the number of deaths from alcohol consumption should not exceed the number of coronavirus victims."
News reports indicate that the number of patients suffering from alcohol poisoning in Ahvaz has surpassed the number of patients suffering from coronavirus.
At the same time, the Deputy Public Prosecutor and Revolution of Karaj has announced the death of seven people in this province due to alcohol poisoning.
In an interview with ISNA, Mohammad Aghayari stated that a number of residents were poisoned due to the consumption of industrial alcohol, and said: "These people, deceived by the content of cyberspace and thinking that they were fighting or treating the coronavirus, had consumed methanol alcohol, and after being poisoned (7 people) lost their lives."
“Drinking alcohol has no effect on fighting coronavirus”
Alcohol poisoning is not limited to Ahvaz and Karaj, as it is believed to be fighting the coronavirus. The Central Headquarters for Drug and Poison Information, the Office of Supervision and Monitoring of Health Products Consumption, and the Food and Drug Administration report similar cases in other cities. The organization’s announcement states: “Unfortunately, based on observations and information obtained from some hospitals in the country, cases of poisoning due to oral consumption of solutions containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and even death due to oral consumption of methyl alcohol (methanol) have been reported in some patients, mistakenly and with the aim of preventing infection with the new coronavirus and COVID-19.”
Shahin Shadnia, a professor at the Department of Clinical Toxicology and Poisoning at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, told Mehr News Agency about the misconception that ethanol can be used to fight coronavirus: "Consuming any alcoholic substances orally has no effect on preventing coronavirus infection... Viruses are resistant to alcohol compounds containing 70 degrees only on surfaces and hands, and consuming alcohol orally not only has no effect on preventing coronavirus, but can even lead to death."
