Dr. Hamid Souri confirms there has been no sequencing of coronavirus performed in Iran and asks the Ministry of Health officials to arrange a “coordinated sequencing plan”, especially wherever a breakout of COVID-19 cases happen to detect Omicron and possibly new variants. The epidemiologist speculates Omicron has reached Iran but asks the government to follow WHO recommendations and amp up control at the borders, considering Omicron has been confirmed in Iraq and Pakistan. The former head of “rapid response team” of the Ministry of Health emphasized the government must increase the daily tests performed to as many as possible. However, official statistics show that has not changed in months and has remained around 110,000 tests/day.
Slow vaccination rate with the ineffective Sinopharm and other failed “domestic vaccines” such as COVIran Barekat continues across the country. WHO recommends 3 doses of Sinopharm for “full vaccination” and according to official data, since February 9, only 2,237,841 (2.66% of Iran population) have received 3 shots of these vaccines. The long delay between shots have led to some health experts believing that immunization has waned and many of the vaccinated may have to start the process from scratch. The same data indicate 58.52% of population have received 2 doses of shots used in Iran.
While the Ministry of Health claims the number of COVID-19 cases has reached a new low for the first time in more than a year, and there is “zero red cities” in Iran, Fars and Kerman report rise in their cases. The current “coloring” system has been criticized several times by officials and health experts but Islamic Republic keeps using it to give the illusion of “normal situation” and “successful control of the virus!”
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 58 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 1,681 tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Professor of Epidemiology at Tehran University believes these numbers must be multiplied by 7 and Civil Registration Organization data show more than 313,000 have died of the disease since February 2020. Graphs illustrate the ongoing crisis in Iran and forming of the new wave.
R0: 1.86
Total: 6,152,524 (+1,681)
Dead: 130,661 (+58)
Recovered: 5,963,373
Critical: 3,126 (-28)
Active Cases: 58,490 (-4,733)
Total Tests: 39,951,481
Cover: Peyman Hamidipoor
