“COVID-19 is out of control in Iran, people must stay at home, it is a difficult situation,” President of Mashhad Medical Council said. Deputy head of Rasht Medical University reiterated the same point, saying all common cold symptoms must be assumed Omicron infection which requires at least 5 days isolation. Tehran Corona Combating Committee announced COVID-19 outpatients have reached more than 6,000 a day, with 300-400 hospitalizations, 25% of which are admitted to ICU. Dr. Tavakoli said Tehran is experiencing its 6th wave and warned that Omicron is infecting under 10-year-olds more than previous variants.
Khuzestan reports 4 times increase in COVID-19 cases from last week. Head of Tabriz Medical University emphasized the real number of Omicron cases must be multiplied by 100! Lorestan cases have doubled in the past few weeks, with hospitalizations and deaths on the rise too. Ardabil, Kohgiloyeh-Boyerahmad, Qazvin, Fars, Alborz, and Semnan also reported surge in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Another concern of health experts is high rate of Omicron infection among minors. In Qazvin alone, 100 minors were admitted to hospitals, 5 times more than the week before. In Mashhad, the second major city in Iran, 20% of hospitalizations were under 18 years old.
Meanwhile, 21 representatives at the Islamic Consultative Assembly tested positive, with 10 being admitted to hospitals and 6 “suspected” of COVID-19. Reportedly, they had tested positive but still attended all meetings.
Furthermore, the flawed “coloring” system of the Ministry of Health is updated. According to the latest map, “red” cities increased by 6 to 15. 61 are “orange” and 274 are designated “yellow!” This is further proof that “COVID-19 is out of control.”
Despite all the red flags and soaring numbers, the Islamic Republic continues to push for in-person classes in schools and universities. Although, some provinces were forced to close the elementary schools, but other grades are to attend classes in-person. In East Azerbaijan, for instance, the Governor emphatically said: “In-person education will not stop” in the province. In addition, the Islamic Revolution Anniversary ceremonies are to be held. Head of Islamic Propaganda Organization in Gilan announced “2,700 special programs during the 10-day celebration!”
According to official definition of “full vaccination” and Ministry of Health data, since February 9, only 16,877,782 (20.09% 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.
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 44 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 21,996 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: 1.82
Total: 6,344,179 (+21,996)
Dead: 132,424 (+44)
Recovered: 6,102,290
Critical: 1,404 (+42)
Active Cases: 109,465 (+18,337)
Total Tests: 44,694,344
Cover: Ahmad Zohrabi
