Member of Scientific Committee at the National COVID-19 Task Force criticized the low number of daily tests performed in Iran amid increasing number of Omicron cases. Dr. Tabarsi emphasized active case finding together with protocols and vaccination could help fight the new super contagious variant. He admitted the reported number of Omicron cases in Iran is not even close to reality and it is many more. The infectious disease specialist, for the nth time, rebuked the use of flawed “coloring system” for Omicron and urged the Ministry of Health to change its criteria for the system. He wrote: “New variant demands new management system!” He added, even one Omicron cases must be a red alarm for authorities.
Head of CDC sounded the alarm against the communal circulation of the new variant, saying cases could increase significantly in the next few weeks. Head of Shiraz Medical University reiterated the silent spread of Omicron in the country and warned it could paralyze the healthcare system. Kermanshah Health Network announced 12 cases infected with the new variant in the province. Dr. Shahabadi warned against “naive assumptions” that Omicron causes mild symptoms like a cold. Lorestan also recorded 3 “suspected” cases of Omicron in the past 24hrs. Khuzestan officials reported 14.4% rise in COVID-19 cases across the province from last week. Mashhad, second biggest city in the country, also reports a spike in outpatients, with more than 4% positivity rate. 78 Omicron cases were reported in Mashhad.
Despite all the warnings and red flags, Islamic Republic continues to hold religious gatherings and normalize the situation by the use of its flawed coloring system and propaganda network. Universities already announced the next semester will be in-person, and currently, final exams are held in-person. On the other hand, the officials blame people for not complying with the COVID-19 protocols!
According to official data, since February 9, only 9,841,553 (11.71% 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. In a recent report, discrepancies indicate that some of the imported vaccines may have been sent for the terrorist group, Hezbollah. Dr. Zahraei of Ministry of Health admitted the vaccination started late in Iran. He also claimed more “domestic” shots will be introduced to the basket soon.
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 26 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 701 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 316,000 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: 6,204,925 (+701)
Dead: 131,847 (+26)
Recovered: 6,050,483
Critical: 1,889 (-171)
Active Cases: 22,595 (-851)
Total Tests: 42,742,805
Cover: Mahdi Marizad
