During the past week, Iranian citizens are facing a sharp increase in the number of new Covid-19 patients and those hospitalized due to the viral disease. The provinces of Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Khuzestan have had the lion’s share in these figures. According to the Health Ministry’s stats, the death toll has now become two-digit.
On July 10, the Health Ministry declared, “At least 10 coronavirus patients lost their lives on Sunday. Since yesterday, 2,375 new Covid-19 patients were identified across the country based on the definitive diagnostic criteria, 296 of whom were hospitalized.”
However, according to health officials’ previous remarks, the real figure is much higher in Iran. In an interview with the state-run daily Vatan-e Emruz on April 28, 2020, Dr. Mohammad Reza Mahboubfar, a member of the National Covid-19 Task Force, said, “The current Covid-19 numbers are twenty times what is being announced by the Health Ministry.”
Since May 4, the Health Ministry has been declaring the Covid-19 fatalities with one-digit numbers. Ebrahim Raisi’s cabinet touted it as a glorious achievement. However, the government continues to lay the blame on people for disobedience to health protocols.
Health Officials Conceal Real Statistics
The Health Ministry has refused to declare the official number of hospitalized coronavirus patients. However, it had been announced that nearly 400 people are in critical condition and have been placed in ICU sections. This number has tripled in recent weeks.
Officials from the Medical Sciences University are warning about a heavy wave in the coming weeks. The Ahvaz Medical Sciences University deputy dean said, “We are facing a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus patients. A heavy coronavirus wave and mass infection are not unexpected with this trend.”
In its July 10 statement, the Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), declared the number of hospitalized patients in Gilan had increased by 350 percent. This number in South Khorasan, Khuzestan, and Khorasan Razavi has reached 400,100, and 97 percent, respectively.
The coronavirus resurgence is thought to be accompanied by severe socioeconomic consequences. More than four million workers have been laid off since the pandemic began in December 2019. In the years since, many citizens, particularly low-income classes, have lost their entire properties and saved whatever little money they have for treating their loved ones.
The regime’s indifference to the situation has added insult to the injury of millions of people. Observers believe that the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei exploited the deadly virus as a human shield as the anti-establishment protests have severely shaken his grip on power. Notably, Khamenei described the pandemic as a “blessing” in March 2020. He also banned the import of reliable Covid-19 vaccines in January 2021, leading to more casualties.
