Omicron is advancing faster and more than it was “expected” by the Islamic Republic officials or health experts. Ahvaz Medical University warns about full hospitals. In a statement, the university officials are stunned at the speed of Omicron spread and how COVID-19 cases soar faster than previous waves. In the health network at east of Ahvaz, 1,700 suspected COVID-19 cases went to hospitals with 50% turning positive tests. Dr. Mardani said this number is rising every day. In Khuzestan, the total number of cases in the past 24 hours was more than 6,500! Fars, Lorestan, and Zanjan join other provinces of Iran with surging infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
Deputy Head of Tehran Corona Combating Committee forewarned people that all common cold cases are Omicron and they should isolate themselves for at least 5 days. Dr. Oliyaimanesh admitted the number of tests in Iran is limited.
Ministry of Health updated its flawed “coloring map” data which is based on COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000! According to the new map, 120 cities are “red”, 153 are considered “orange”, 167 “yellow” and only 8 “blue!”
Meanwhile, Islamic Republic has done little to control the spread of the virus. Lockdown recommended by the Scientific Committee of National COVID-19 Task Force has been delayed and universities remain open. While Mashhad is one of the “red” cities in the country, its libraries remain open and are supposed to remain open despite the “protocols” imposed by the Islamic Republic.
According to official definition of “full vaccination” and Ministry of Health data, since February 9, only 19,023,540 (22.64% of Iran population) are vaccinated against COVID-19 with these vaccines. It is estimated that more than 53 million Iranians are at risk of contracting Omicron. 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, which led to a deep mistrust between people and the healthcare system of the regime.
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 57 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 36,908 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. Active cases begin to rise too. Professor of Epidemiology at Tehran University believes these numbers must be multiplied by 7 and Civil Registration Organization data show more than 318,000 have died of the disease since February 2020. Graphs illustrate the ongoing crisis in Iran and forming of the new wave.
R0: 2.19
Total: 6,520,707 (+36,908)
Dead: 132,681 (+57)
Recovered: 6,130,566
Critical: 2,085 (+140)
Active Cases: 257,460 (+27,638)
Total Tests: 45,202,592
Cover: Milad Hamadi
