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Radiofarda – Iran announced more COVID-19 coronavirus deaths for a second time on Thursday, pushing the total to 26 which is still disproportionate to the official number of infections at 245, in comparison with China and other countries.
Kianoush Jahanpour, Spokesman of the Health Ministry in his latest update said the death toll and infection cases have risen to 26 and 245, respectively.
According to a chart published earlier on Thursday by the official news agency IRNA, the death toll and number of infected patients stood at 22 and 141, respectively which indicates a considerable jump in the number of diagnosed patients in a few hours.
The chart published by IRNA also indicates that 20 of Iran’s 31 provinces are now battling with the coronavirus outbreak. Two days earlier, only 11 provinces had reported cases of the illness. The chart also indicates that 54 of the patients diagnosed with coronavirus have recovered.
The virus has so far claimed at least 2,800 lives worldwide, the vast majority of them in mainland China and the total number of global infection cases stands at 82,000. This puts the fatality rate at around 3.4 percent while according to the latest figures announced by Iranian authorities the death to infection ratio is 10.6 percent, nearly three times the global ratio.
Many suspect that the figures announced by Iranian officials are considerably lower than the real figures because authorities are hiding the scope of the crisis.
For instance, some social media users have pointed out that several foreign pilgrims to Mashhad have been diagnosed in other countries but Iranian officials deny that the city has corovairus crisis. Mashhad is the second-largest Iranian city, a very important tourist destination and home to a shrine visited by thousands every day.
Canadian researchers have estimated that based on coronavirus cases traveling from Iran to other countries it is statistically possible that 18,000 Iranians have been infected with COVID-19.
President Rouhani reiterated on Wednesday, February 26, that coronavirus should not become an “enemy weapon” that prevents business in Iran. “Corona should not be turned into a weapon of our enemies for shutting down work and production in the country,” Rouhani said.
The first case of coronavirus death was reported on February 19.
Many of the patients contaminated with the virus both in Iran and among those who have tested positive in other countries such as Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan and Iraq have been to Qom recently. The 11 countries out of the 40 contaminated countries that have so far reported coronavirus infections with connection to Iran have reported that the victims had visited Qom.
Qom, Iran’s seventh-largest city and the countries religious capital, is visited by thousands of pilgrims daily but some religious officials in the city have so far strongly resisted the closure of its shrine and Jamkaran, a mosque very popular with pilgrims.
Chaos appears to be reigning in coronavirus outbreak management. Various government officials make contradictory statements and in some instances health officials appear to be under pressure from other governmental and religious bodies to downplay the situation.
Health Minister Saeed Namaki on Wednesday said his Ministry wanted to close shrines in contaminated cities but had to abide by the decision of the Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus which did not agree to the closure of religious establishments.
Despite health official’s recommendations, religious authorities have not consented to cancelling Friday prayers. In Tehran officials of the Friday Prayers Headquarters have said the prayers will be held but with “preventative measures”.
The Health Ministry is only one of the members of the Task Force which was formed on February 20 and includes the ministers of health, interior, tourism, transportation, the Cabinet Spokesman and a representative of the Armed Forces General Headquarters.
