Covid accounts for "25%" of daily deaths in Iran; a five percent increase in two weeks

Iran's Deputy Health Minister says that 25 percent of all daily deaths in Iran are due to coronavirus. The percentage and statistics that Iraj Harirchi recently presented are higher than the estimate he himself gave two weeks ago.

Iraj Harirchi, Deputy General of the Iranian Ministry of Health, said in a television interview that the number of daily deaths from the coronavirus has reached 25% of the total human casualties, referring to the new official statistics in Iran regarding the deaths of at least 235 people in 24 hours.

Just two weeks ago, the official death toll in Iran was 179, and Mr. Harirchi himself had said that "one-fifth" of the daily death toll in Iran was related to patients with Covid-19.

There are various doubts about the accuracy of the statistics being announced, whether due to widespread criticism of the Islamic Republic regarding transparency in reporting, or other issues such as testing, the method and quality of testing, or the accurate and precise declaration of the cause of death.

Mr. Harirchi also said about the situation in the provinces that most of them are in "red status", but "the main disaster occurred in Tehran, and Tehran is in the third highest number of infected people and deaths."

This senior Health Ministry official says that Tehran has returned to the Corona era in March and April.

The deputy health minister says that “the mask usage rate should reach 80-95 percent,” but that about 30 percent of citizens still do not comply. He did not explain the source of this statistic.

Researchers believe that wearing masks, especially in crowded and enclosed spaces, plays an important role in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Iraj Harirchi is also among the Iranian officials who have publicly and seriously expressed doubts about holding Muharram ceremonies.

Mr. Harirchi said that even in previous years, there were problems with social distancing during Muharram ceremonies, and "this gathering is not possible at all this year."

Iran's Deputy Health Minister says, "Decisions have been made regarding mourning groups that will almost certainly not be allowed outside, and gatherings in closed spaces will not be possible."

Alireza Raisi, another deputy health minister, also said on Tuesday that the ministry was "opposed" to holding large gatherings, especially in indoor settings.

This is despite the fact that the Judiciary Spokesperson said that the pandemic "should not cause us to neglect the blessings of these days."

Iran - even considering official statistics - is among the 10 most crisis-hit countries in the world in terms of the spread of the coronavirus.

The official death toll in Iran currently exceeds 16,100, and the number of officially confirmed and laboratory-tested cases has reached about 300,000.

On July 19, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, citing a Health Ministry report, said that 25 million people in the country have been infected with COVID-19 so far and that "another 30 to 35 million people will be at risk of contracting the virus (coronavirus)."

These statements have sparked speculation that the government is on the path to implementing a policy called "herd immunity," a controversial policy that has even drawn criticism from the Ministry of Health, which has rejected it.

Source: Radio Tomorrow