Health and Hygiene

RFL/RE – Iran’s ambassador to Moscow says Tehran has signed a contract with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Kazem Jalali told the state-run IRNA news agency on April 15 that the deal with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, would provide enough shots to fully vaccinate …

Iranwire – On the last day of the week ending April 15, the officially-recorded death toll from Covid-19 in Iran stood at 321, a record-breaking figure for a single day. The health minister has warned that the situation will get worse in the coming week. According to local officials, more than 50 percent of people taking PCR swab tests in …

Iranwire – For years now, the results of corruption in the Iranian drug market have been linked by officials to sanctions whenever they come up. Since the outbreak of coronavirus in Iran these debates have become even more heated than before. At the top tier, sprawling parastatal holdings companies such as the Barakat Foundation occupy a central position in the …

Iran-HRM – The coronavirus has spread in Karaj Central Prison and a large number of prisoners have been infected, according to informed sources. Covid-19 cases have been reported in the hall 1 of the prison, which is a quarantine and a place for newly arrived prisoners. At least 35 prisoners with acute Covid-19 have been taken to hospital over the …

Al-Monitor – Furious calls are growing louder in Iran against the pandemic mismanagement after the country’s infection rates tripled in a matter of two days. According to official statistics April 8, all provincial capitals and over three-fourths of the country were mapped as red zones. The number of daily cases hit a record new high of 22,586, pushing beyond 2 million the …

RFL/RE – Iran has set a new daily record for new coronavirus infections amid a surge of cases following the Norouz holiday. The Health Ministry said on April 7 that in the previous 24 hours, 20,954 new cases had been reported, breaking the record set a day earlier of 17,430 infections. RFE/RL’s Coronavirus Coverage Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore …

Amnesty – The global pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination and oppression and paved the way for the devastation wrought by COVID-19 globally and within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Amnesty International said in its annual report published today. Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The State of the …

Iran-HRM – Political prisoner Farhad Salmanpour Zahir has been denied medical treatment despite suffering from medical conditions. Farhad Salmanpour who suffered severe injuries to his spine as a result of torture and beatings in prison, as well as harassment of ordinary inmates, barely can walk and urgently needs medical treatment. He also suffers from a lung infection and is suspected …

shabtabnews – In a statement IOPHR urged immediate Action by government Bosnia Herzegovina to Protect the Life of Mr. Amir Labbaf . Mr. Amir Labbaf, is an Iranian asylum seeker based in the Sadr camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been on a hunger strike since the 28th March in order to protest the lack of security and medical care …

Iranwire – Health workers are the front line in our defense against the coronavirus pandemic – including hundreds of Iranian Baha’i doctors and nurses. But they are not in Iran; instead, they live in countries around the world, treating their patients, where they are admired and praised by the people and governments of the countries where they live. The one country …