Head of Mashhad Medical System Organization: If the vaccine does not arrive, a human disaster will occur

​​​​​​​As the number of infections and deaths from the fourth wave of the coronavirus increases, Iranian officials are searching for the culprit. The Medical Organization is calling for a “lockdown,” but politicians say that would require funding.

Shokrollah Salmanzadeh, dean of the Abadan School of Medical Sciences, says: "If restrictions are not imposed and people continue to move around in the markets and the city, and large-scale ceremonies are held, there is no hope of improving the situation."

He says: "In the third peak of the disease, we are facing a mutated virus that is very contagious. But now that the virus has become more ferocious, we have reversed course and are dealing with this virus as normal."

Earlier, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said: "The map of coronavirus cases in the country is moving towards black." The Ministry of Health and Medical Education also announced in its latest announcement: "257 cities in the country have been placed in red status and a two-week lockdown of the entire country is necessary."

In response to these criticisms and requests, Mahmoud Vaezi, chief of staff to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said: "It may be easy for a doctor to say that the first thing to do is to close down the entire country, but for this, we must first provide a large budget so that we can have a plan for someone who owns a shop and pays rent, taxes, and checks for it."

Critics say that previously, with restrictions imposed and government decrees that only Group One jobs were allowed to operate, no economic or assistance measures were considered for other groups.

On the other hand, food stores and distribution centers, health centers, pharmacies, manufacturing plants and industrial and mining centers, media, postal and telecommunications activities, and public transportation of goods and passengers were categorized in Group One, and government offices must also work with one-half to one-third of their personnel.

In this situation, Shokrollah Salmanzadeh says: "Currently, in red cities, even the restrictions of yellow cities are not applied; all job groups in red cities are active and all trade units are open."

Warning from the head of the Mashhad Medical System Organization

Ali Birjandinejad, head of the Mashhad Medical System Organization, says: "Many officials are looking for the culprit instead of taking immediate action; spending money on people and accusing them has also become the easiest path for some; one day Nowruz trips are the culprit, and the next day chicken lines are the culprit."

Earlier, at a meeting of the National Coronavirus Management Headquarters, Hassan Rouhani mentioned four factors for the emergence of the fourth wave of coronavirus, calling the most important factor "the entry of the British virus from Iraq."

This comes while Iranian media reported in early March that five border terminals between Iran and Iraq had been closed following the outbreak of the British coronavirus.

Rouhani cited numerous other factors such as "traffic and gatherings the week before Nowruz," "Nowruz ceremonies and visits," and "numerous weddings in the months of Rajab and Sha'ban" as factors contributing to the spread of the coronavirus.

In addition to imposing social restrictions and "lockdowns," calls have also been made to increase the speed of vaccination to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Ali Birjandinejad, head of the Mashhad Medical System Organization, warned the authorities, saying: "The country's mortality rate is rising, and even a day's delay in widespread and public vaccination is unforgivable."

While Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has banned the use of American and British vaccines, there is still no news about domestic vaccines.

Imports of Russian, Chinese, and Indian vaccines have also not been sufficient so far, and their injection policy has also been controversial.

Mohammad Reza Sharifi Moghadam, Secretary General of the Iranian Nursing Home, criticized the Iranian Ministry of Health and told Rokna News Agency that both the corona vaccine has entered the country in small quantities and the conditions for distributing these vaccines are inappropriate, and "we have repeatedly witnessed people becoming insecure and untrustworthy when receiving the vaccine."

He asked why, out of nearly 1.7 million doses of vaccine imported to Iran, "30% of medical staff have not yet been vaccinated against Corona?"

Hassan Hosseinizadeh, deputy director of technical and operations at Tehran's emergency center, announced that 48 percent of Tehran's emergency personnel have been infected with the coronavirus, saying: "25 percent of emergency operational personnel received 25 percent of their first and second doses of the vaccine. These people are working as fighters on the front lines of the coronavirus."

Source: DW