While Tehran and Alborz are struggling with severe air pollution and dangerous situation for most people, Interior Ministry refuses to grant Tehran Governor’s request to close down Tehran for 2 days. In the meantime, mixed signals are reported aboutt the effects of air quality on COVID-19 and if coronavirus could return to another peak!
Health Ministry Spokesperson announced air pollution would make the situation for spreading coronavirus worse and so did head of Tehran Corona Combating Committee! Dr Zali warned the situation will get worse. A faculty member at Alborz Medical University says the virus will have a longer life in polluted air but another official at Hamedan Medical University says coronavirus has a shorter life outdoors and there is no way it could reach an accumulation level easy to transmit! Some observers think Health Ministry might be using this excuse for a possible soon uptrend of the virus! However, in an international study published in October 2020, researchers find out air pollution could increase the risk of COVID-19 deaths by 15%.
Saeed Namaki, the Islamic Republic Health Minister, once again promised the domestic COVID-19 vaccine will be ready by the end of Spring 2021 but meanwhile “foreign vaccines will be imported from reliable sources.” He also announced the vulnerable groups would be the firsts to receive the vaccine. Namaki says “a collaboration with another country has been signed and the third phase of human trials will take place in Iran.”
According to Raisi, 16,800,000 doses from COVAX will arrive within the next 2 months and Cuba is the “other” country Namaki talks about. Raisi said the vaccine Iranians will have accessed to will be priced below $10. Raisi confirmed there are 860 very critical COVID-19 patients across the country under ventilators. He also said the 9PM curfew will be in place for at least another 2 months! While Namaki says “nobody can predict what happens tomorrow regarding coronavirus,” Raisi claimed “the number of deaths will drop to below 90 in the next 10 days.” Both Saeed Namaki and his Deputy in Health Affairs said coronavirus is not done yet!
Islamic Republic has been bragging about “controlling” the virus since the beginning of epidemic in Iran in February 2020! The theocratic regime has gotten so arrogant that even though thousands of people are infected and hundreds die every day for more than 10 months, they have entered this farce claim in 9th grade social studies book! On page 52, it reads:
“Islamic Republic of Iran, with advanced health and therapeutic supplies together with skilled, kind, and hardworking healthcare staff, was able to be among the top countries managing COVID-19. This is when some western countries would even refuse to admit and treat some old patients.”
Sima Sadat Lari announced her daily manipulated data showing 102 COVID-19 deaths in Iran in the past 24 hours while coronavirus infected 5,960! According to her, 497 were admitted in the past 24 hours. Dr. Zali reported 201 new admissions in Tehran while 93 occupied ICU beds. Daily testing remains in the same range.
Basic Reproduction Rate (R0) and graphs remain the best indicators of about 11 months of disastrous Islamic Republic COVID-19 management!
R0: 4.25
Total: 1,243,434 (+5,960)
Dead: 55,540 (+102)
Recovered: 1,013,018
Critical: 4,953 (-28)
Admitted: 174,876 (-2,834)
Tests: 7,777,488 (9.4% of the population, assuming each test was performed on 1 person)
Cover: Mahnaz Dezhban
