Iran's Ministry of Health: Coronavirus claims 43 lives among medical staff

According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Health, 43 Iranian healthcare workers have died from COVID-19 as of April 25. The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Iran increased by more than 2,200 in a single day, surpassing the 27,000 mark.

Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman and head of the Ministry of Health's Information Center, attended a news conference via video on Wednesday morning, April 26, and answered reporters' questions about developments in the spread of the new coronavirus in Iran.

According to ISNA news agency, Jahanpour said about the latest statistics on the victims of COVID-19 among medical staff: "Our dearest doctors, nurses, and paraclinical colleagues are on the front lines of the fight against Corona, and unfortunately, 43 people have been martyred in this trench so far."

He expressed regret that the country's healthcare staff was left without these deaths, noting that "this figure is lower compared to that of other countries."

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health announced that "Coronavirus disease detection" has become more targeted, saying that instead of waiting for infected people, infected people will be identified by visiting citizens' homes.

Jahanpour also said: "Of course, we need more diagnostic kits. In this regard, a number of knowledge-based companies have succeeded in manufacturing these kits, which will soon enter the mass production stage after obtaining permission from the Pasteur Institute and the Food and Drug Administration's Medical Devices Directorate."

A short while later, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, as per the ministry's usual procedure in recent days, presented the latest statistics on the identification of new cases of coronavirus and its fatalities in the 24 hours ending at noon on April 26.

Unprecedented and sudden increase in infected people in one day

According to Jahanpour, 2,206 new cases of coronavirus have been identified in Iran during this period. This number of new infections in one day was unprecedented and marked a significant increase compared to previous days.

Based on the latest official statistics from the Ministry of Health, including newly identified cases, 27,170 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have been recorded in Iran so far.

According to these statistics, 143 patients with COVID-19 have lost their lives in the past 24 hours, and the number of coronavirus victims in Iran as of April 27 has reached 2,077.

The surge in coronavirus cases continues even as President Hassan Rouhani claimed in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that Iran has overcome the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak. He also warned: “Another wave may be ahead of us in the coming days, and we must manage that as well.”

Rouhani's claim about passing the first wave 

Talking about the "first wave" of the coronavirus outbreak and its passing in Iran is not accurate and correct, and official statistics do not confirm it. Since the beginning of March and the beginning of the announcement of coronavirus outbreak statistics, the number of infected people has fluctuated greatly.

For example, the number of infected people on March 6 was announced as 1,234, more than double the previous day. Three days later, the number of infected people in official statistics was again reported as less than half of this number.

The highest number of new infections last month was on March 14, with 1,365 cases. Three times this month, the number of infected people had peaked and then declined somewhat.

The lowest number of new infections in the new year was reported on April 2, when there were fewer than a thousand cases. Since then, new cases have been increasing every day.

Given this trend, it is unclear how the growing wave of the coronavirus outbreak, which began on April 2, will continue in the coming days. Rouhani's remarks about the possibility of another wave of the coronavirus outbreak and experts' warnings about an increase in cases with the return of Nowruz travelers to metropolitan areas make the situation look worrisome.

Possibility of a “catastrophic acceleration” in cases

In an article published by ISNA on March 10, the "Scientific Team of the Voluntary Quarantine Campaign" concluded that the peak of the coronavirus pandemic has not yet been observed and that the rapid trend of infections and deaths continues, and that, given the Nowruz travel, "it is very likely that the pandemic will accelerate catastrophically in the second week to the end of Farvardin."

Alireza Zali, head of the headquarters to combat the coronavirus in the Tehran metropolis, said on April 23 that those infected who visit medical centers are "worse off" and that the number of recoveries has decreased: "Without a doubt, the wave of travelers returning to Tehran will worsen this situation."

A day later, Zali complained that millions of people had traveled for Nowruz despite warnings, saying: "Many people infected with the coronavirus have mild symptoms and do not realize they are sick, and by traveling, they are putting themselves and those around them on the brink of death. The return of these people is also worrying."

According to News Online, Karim Hemmati, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, announced on April 4 that over the past few days, more than eight and a half million people from 19 provinces have traveled, among whom 6,500 people have been identified with symptoms of coronavirus, such as fever.

Following the lack of attention paid by a number of citizens to medical advice to avoid unnecessary travel and commuting and being in crowded environments, measures such as preventing new trips and closing parks and large stores were put on the agenda at a meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, which are scheduled to be implemented starting tomorrow.

Source: DW