Deputy Head of Ahvaz Medical University confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising again in Khuzestan calling it a warning sign for a new wave! Head of the university reiterated the warning and reported 300-450 visits to hospitals on a daily basis. Deputy Head of Kermanshah Health Network reported 50% positivity rate in the province. Dr. Shahabadi said “all symptoms must be considered COVID-19.” He also warned about another possible surge in cases in Iran. Kohgiloyeh-Boyerahmad is on the same boat. Hospitalizations in Fars continues to be in 3-digit territory and double digit daily deaths are recorded.
In the meantime, Islamic Republic encourages people to participate in crowded “Shaban 15” ceremonies which celebrates the “birth of Imam Zaman,” on March 18. At the same time, officials warn people to refrain from Persian New Year family gatherings, following the same old pattern from the beginning of the pandemic in Iran.
According to official definition of “full vaccination” and Ministry of Health data, since February 9, only 24,517,348 (29.18% 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 COVIran Barekat. WHO recommends 3 doses of Sinopharm to be effective against Delta but studies have found the vaccine ineffective against Omicron.
The Islamic Republic “Supreme Leader” banned the reliable US and UK made vaccines, leading to tsunami of deaths during Delta wave. Khamenei promoted his foundation’s shot, COVIran Barekat, which failed miserably. Multiple “homegrown” vaccines, including PastoCoVac, COVPars, Fakhra, Noora, Spikogen, never met the expectations and none of them has published their results or received recognition/approval from international health organizations.
The Ministry of Health Spokesperson claimed 173 have died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 5,008 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 324,000 have died of the disease since February 2020.
R0: 1.94
Total: 7,107,167 (+5,008)
Dead: 138,433 (+173)
Recovered: 6,754,234
Critical: 3,265 (-163)
Active Cases: 214,500 (-2,329)
Total Tests: 47,961,837
