In one province alone, 19 “suspected” cases of Omicron are sent to Pasteur Institute in Tehran (one of the 2 centers in Iran) for sequencing. Dr. Jazayeri from Shahr-e-Kord Medical University in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari asked adolescents to complete their vaccination as soon as possible, “because Omicron infects young individuals more.” He also promised that Omicron will not last for long as South Africa is experiencing a sharp decline in its cases! In the meantime, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Fars, Mashhad, Kohgiloyeh-Boyerahmad and Isfahan are on the rise.
Head of Students Research Center at Mashhad Medical University emphasized on the importance of vaccination to prevent another wave of COVID-19 in Iran. Dr. Sahabnegah said to prevent the sixth wave, 2-dose vaccination must reach 90% and at least 70% of Iran population must receive 3 shots.
Official data indicate that since February 9, only 7,476,324 (8.90% of Iran population) have received 3 doses of these vaccines. The majority of shots used in Iran are the ineffective Sinopharm and failed COVIran Barekat. WHO recommends 3 doses of Sinopharm to be effective against Delta but studies have found the vaccine ineffective against Omicron. It is worth mentioning, Khamenei banned US and UK made vaccines in January to promote his own foundation’s COVIran Barekat.
On the other hand, the Islamic Republic is to remove “subsidized currency” for medicine imports. This horrifying news, which would cause price of all kinds of medicine to skyrocket and more people struggle to afford their vital medicines, was denied by officials all week, includling Mokhber, Vice President of the regime, on Sunday. However, today, advisor to the head of FDA admitted the “subsidized currency to import medicine” will not be included in the next Persian year’s budget (March 21, 2022- March 20, 2023). Mohammadi claimed “some people may not prioritize health, thus, they should not be given medicine at a low price!”
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 45 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 1,936 tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Number of daily tests performed in the country continue to decline despite experts advice to have a more active case finding. Professor of Epidemiology at Tehran University believes these numbers must be multiplied by 7 and Civil Registration Organization data show more than 315,000 have died of the disease since February 2020. Graphs illustrate the ongoing crisis in Iran and forming of the new wave.
R0: 1.60
Total: 6,192,698 (+1,936)
Dead: 131,572 (+45)
Recovered: 6,034,821
Critical: 2,713 (-19)
Active Cases: 26,305 (-315)
Total Tests: 41,887,743
Cover: Ali Abdollahi
