Health and Hygiene

Iranwire – Night-time traffic curfews have been in place in cities across Iran for the best part of 11 months now. According to the rules, people are not allowed to drive private vehicles on the public highway from 10pm to 3am, or they risk a fine of 200,000 tomans (US$48). Within weeks of the restrictions being imposed, provincial officials warned it …

Iranwire – This week, a photo was circulated showing Amir Hossein Moradi on temporary release from prison, embracing his mother in hospital. The image engendered all kinds of reactions – relief, well-wishes, anger at his plight – and amongst them, more than a few people noticed the young man’s significant weight gain. Comparing photos of Moradi before and after his …

Iranwire – A young doctor-in-training has died of coronavirus in Tehran, reigniting concerns about the standard of living for medical students and the harsh conditions under which they work. Monireh Foroughi, a second-year student in obstetrics and gynecology at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, had been working as resident at Taleghani Hospital since the beginning of October. The university announced her …

RFL/RE – Iran unveiled its homegrown Fakhra coronavirus vaccine to much fanfare, with officials touting it as a “high-quality” inoculation. The vaccine was named in honor of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated near Tehran in November and hailed as a “national hero.” But seven months after the launch of the first clinical trials of Fakhra, the production …

Iranwire – The main Friday prayers service has been held Tehran for the first time in 20 months after being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes despite warnings earlier in the week by Health Minister Bahram Einolaahi that Iran is on the brink of a sixth major wave of Covid-19 cases.  Organisers of the ceremony at Tehran University said that …

Al-Monitor – After approximately a month of relatively lower COVID-19 numbers in Iran, it appears that the virus is back on the rise for a sixth wave, despite the fact that the fifth wave never fully ended. In the last 24 hours there have been over 11,000 new confirmed cases, with nearly 2,000 hospitalizations. In the same time period, there …

Iranwire – Officials of the Islamic Republic are now claiming that around 75 percent of Iranians have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Of course, what’s not being mentioned is that this figure also encompasses those who’ve only received one of the required two doses, and under 25 percent of Iranians are considered fully protected. That aside, most of the doses administered …

Iranwire – Depression and anxiety are the most common psychiatric disorders in Iran, the new deputy minister for mental health, social affairs and addiction has said. According to Ali Asadi, depression accounted for 7.12 percent of all mental health complaints recorded in a recent survey by the Ministry of Health, while anxiety was reported by a total of 15 percent. …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Labour and social welfare journalist and researcher, Khosrow Sadeghi-Boroujeni is reportedly in a bad physical condition in Evin Prison. Despite frequently seeking treatment at the prison infirmary, he has so far been denied effective medical treatment, specialist treatment outside the prison and medical furlough. Informed sources have told Iran Human Rights that Khosrow is given …

Al-Monitor – Baquer Namazi, a US citizen barred from leaving Iran, requires immediate surgery abroad to prevent a fatal stroke, his son told reporters Monday. “In the past several weeks, my family’s worst fears have come to a head,” Babak Namazi said in a virtual press briefing on Monday. “My father has already lost so much precious time,” he said. …