Health and Hygiene

Radiofarda – Iran’s deputy health minister issued a warning Saturday that a cheap medication is mislabeled and sold as remdesivir in Iran at extremely high prices. Iraj Harirchi speaking in a television program said a 50-cent medication is relabeled as remdesivir and sold at 1,300 to 1,600 U.S. dollars on the black market. The prices quoted by the deputy minister …

VOA – Iran’s economy must stay open despite a rise in the number of coronavirus infections, President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday. He called for a ban on large gatherings, such as at weddings and wakes, to limit the spread of the disease. Iran reported Saturday that in the previous 24 hours, there had been 2,397 new COVID-19 cases and 188 …

Radiofarda – In highly charged comments the Islamic Republic health minister barraged top Iranian officials with criticism on Wednesday, July 8, accusing them of “negligence,” having no economic plan, and “losing control” over the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in the country. The president, intelligence agents, and security forces should “think about people’s livelihoods and how to prevent an “insurrection,” …

CHRI – Imprisoned human rights activist Narges Mohammadi and other cellmates have displayed symptoms of the coronavirus during the past week in Zanjan Prison, 210 miles west of Tehran, but have not been tested. “For the past six days, Narges and several other prisoners have suffered numbness, pain in their bones and fatigue and now, since yesterday (July 6), they have lost …

csmonitor.com – First the wounded veteran, then the unpaid security guard, then the hungry child. The powerful images of hopelessness came one after another, creating mounting waves of shock for Iranians who may have thought themselves inured to tales of desperation, destitution, and political angst. Yet decades after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution seized power in the name of “social justice” …

Radiofarda – Mark Dubowitz and Saeed Ghasseminajad of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies have done an investigation of the Iranian regime’s disinformation campaign to minimize the real impact of the coronavirus pandemic and blame the United States for their failures in confronting the health crisis. A campaign designed for internal and external audiences, following a very clear objective: Sanctify …

Iran-HRM – Two prisoners have died of the coronavirus in Karaj Central Prison, and at least 11 others were taken to the hospital after being infected and were not returned to prison in a health crisis that was predictable and preventable. The high infection rates have hit the prison where is dangerously overcrowded and prisoner are unable to maintain distance …

Radiofarda – For the first time since February, Iran’s official death toll on Tuesday reached 200 while according to the Chairman of Tehran City Council over the last 24-hour reporting period 70 died in the capital Tehran alone. In her daily briefing, Dr. Sima-Sadat Lari, Health Ministry Spokesperson, said death of 200 COVID-19 patients has been confirmed on the basis …

VOA – Iran recorded its highest number of deaths from COVID-19 within a 24-hour period, official health ministry figures showed on Sunday.  The 163 deaths reported on Sunday exceed the previous record from last Monday, when the health ministry reported 162 deaths in a day. The Islamic Republic has recorded a total of 11,571 deaths and 240,438 infections from the …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani says Iranians who do not wear masks will be denied public services and workplaces that fail to comply with health protocols will be shut for a week. Rohani made the comments on July 4 as he announced new steps to try to curb the coronavirus pandemic that was first confirmed in Iran in February. …