Ministry of Health Spokesperson announced 223 COVID-19 deaths and 7,704 coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours in Iran. Number of cases increased for the second day in a row She repeated the same counties as red, orange and yellow. However, she didn’t mention Bandar Anzali as red while the city’s officials reported it as “red.” All health experts and provincial authorities warn about the fragile state in the country.
Hemmati, head of Central Bank of Islamic Republic, repeated his rhetoric that EU banks are refusing to accept payments due to US sanctions. The chaos and contradictions about importing COVID-19 vaccine and its domestic version continues while Iranians have been struggling with the virus for more than 10 months. Hemmati added, “US doesn’t know how we pay for other medications and medical supplies, if they did, they would try to ban us from using those avenues too just to pressure people of Iran!” Other Islamic Republic officials and US authorities have confirmed that there’s no sanction on humanitarian aids and medical supplies.
The theocratic regime is prepared to blame people and “Yalda Night” gatherings as the cause for the next peak of the disease. Yalda is a family celebration and not a “gathering” per se. It’s a tradition dating back to pre-Islam and now coronavirus has given an excuse to the ever anti-Iranian regime to ban people from celebrating their roots.
Mashhad, Tehran and other big cities are waiting on National Task Force to decide about “restrictions” for December 20, the longest night of the year. Head of Abadan Medical University, Southwest of Iran, clearly said if people go to gathering, the next wave will emerge. Head of Isfahan Medical University voices her concern over the unstable circumstances and warn about the resurgence of COVID-19! However, none of them mentions how one or two nights of curfew might help when restrictions are already relaxed across the country, especially in Tehran.
With the unstable situation in the country, Tourist Organization officials have met with Foreign Ministry authorities to allow tourists enter the country! As if all problems are resolved.
Basic Reproduction Rate (R0) and graphs continue to show 10 months of crisis in the country, even though they’re based on manipulated and undercounted data provided by the Islamic Republic Ministry of Health! Testing remains in the same range. Recoveries decline for the third day in a row.
R0: 4.47
Total: 1,123,474 (+7,704)
Dead: 52,670 (+223)
Recovered: 833,276
Critical: 5,704 (-7)
Admitted: 237,528 (-2,564)
Tests: 6,797,469 (8.1% of the population, assuming each test was performed on 1 person)
Cover: Pouria Pakizeh
