Deputy Minister of Health: People should appreciate the blessing of free vaccines
126 coronavirus patients have died in a single day. Schools will reopen on December 1st, and the Highways Agency announces the integration of passenger control systems. The Deputy Minister of Health says the vaccine was supposed to be paid for, but the Corona Headquarters opposed it.
33 cities in Iran are in red, 95 in orange, 220 in yellow, and 100 in blue. In the 24 hours ending November 16, 7,554 new COVID-19 patients were identified, of whom 1,078 were hospitalized. During the same period, 126 more patients died, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 127,299.
At the same time, new measures are being announced to contain the sixth wave of the pandemic, including intensive controls on the roads to prevent the movement of unvaccinated people and the refusal to issue air and rail tickets to passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not have a certificate of non-infection.
The Director General of Passenger Transportation at the Road Administration and Transport Organization said: "From the beginning of December, health protocols and social distancing in the public transportation fleet will become more coherent and systematic to encourage people to use vaccines and PCR tests."
The Deputy Minister of Transport of the Ministry of Roads also emphasized that there will be no possibility of issuing tickets for air and rail transport for unvaccinated people, and that road patrols will also control the routes in all provinces. It was also announced that with the entry into force of the new regulations, the 60% limit on passenger admission on planes will be lifted.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Health has made controversial remarks reminding people to appreciate the free vaccine. Apparently intending to encourage citizens, he called the free vaccine a “blessing” and said: “We intended to charge for the corona vaccination starting in December, but the National Headquarters for Combating Corona opposed it.”
Since Saturday, November 6, people over the age of 60 in all provinces of Iran have been called to the relevant centers to receive the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The Ministry of Health has considered eligible people to be those who have received the Sinopharm and Barakat vaccines and 4 months have passed since their second injection.
But the motivation of many citizens who have not been vaccinated and do not intend to be vaccinated is a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of domestic or Chinese vaccines.
The head of the Center for Statistics and Information Technology Management of the Ministry of Health said that Gilan has the highest vaccination rate in both rounds, and the lowest rate is in Sistan and Baluchestan. Ali Sharifi Zarchi added that vaccination has been declining as it has reached the turn of youth and adolescents.
This Ministry of Health official also warned against reopening schools in red cities, saying: "I cannot imagine schools opening in these cities at all. We must be vigilant in preventing the sixth peak of Corona in the country, because the student may not be in danger, but his family will be at risk."
Source: DW
