COVID-19 daily cases continue to soar. Omicron has reached new cities and provinces. The number of daily tests has constantly reduced, despite the advice of health experts. Islamic Republic Ministry of Health has admitted to its incapability to assess the scope of Omicron spread. An official reported more than 6 million have not received any vaccine and 6.5-7 million have delayed their 2nd dose. Dr. Zahraei blamed people for not trusting the shots used in Iran and said 13 million have not come to receive their 3rd doses! Meanwhile, regime’s Education Ministry and Science Ministry insist on reopening schools and universities for in-person classes.
Based on official statistics from Fars officials, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise in the past few days. Mashhad Medical University reported 737 new cases in the past 24 hours, a significant increase from last week and 15% rise in positive COVID-19 tests. Head of Arak Medical University predicted the “color” of cities would change very soon, since COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 100% from previous days. Dr. Jamalian warned Omicron could be fatal and many have taken its threat lightly.
Ministry of Health PR Office announced the first death due to Omicron in Alborz province. Hashemi reported this death as the 10th caused by the variant. Gilan, Bushehr, and Ardabil also recorded spike in their patients intake and positive tests. An official from Khuzestan sounded the alarm for shortage of beds in the next 2 weeks. Dr. Jangerannejad criticized the government for reopening schools and universities amid Omicron wave and urged officials to take protocols seriously.
According to official definition of “full vaccination” and Ministry of Health data, since February 9, only 15,254,504 (18.16% of Iran population) are vaccinated against COVID-19 with 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.
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 23 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 9,378 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 317,000 have died of the disease since February 2020. Graphs illustrate the ongoing crisis in Iran and forming of the new wave.
R0: 1.48
Total: 6,267,559 (+9,378)
Dead: 132,274 (+23)
Recovered: 6,085,073
Critical: 1,241 (+19)
Active Cases: 50,212 (+7,041)
Total Tests: 44,230,284
Cover: Hadi Zand
