Health and Hygiene

Al-Monitor – Iran is nearing completion of a domestically produced vaccine for the coronavirus, according to state-affiliated media. A nationwide vaccine campaign for the public could still be several weeks away, however, as cases continue to rise despite lockdown measures. The COVIran Barekat vaccine entered its third trial phase on April 25. The current phase consists of a human trial involving more than …

RFL/RE – Iranian health officials are warning the number of COVID-19 fatalities is expected to climb in the coming weeks as the country recorded its highest single-day death toll from the pandemic. Health Ministry data showed the death toll from the virus increased by 496 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to …

Iranwire – Nurses, retirees and pensioners have taken part in mass rallies in several cities in Iran in protest against their low payments and salaries. Demonstrations by state pension recipients took place over the weekend in Ardabil, Arak, Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Qazvin, Boroujerd, Kermanshah, and Shoush. According to national organization the Retirees’ Union Group, the group’s main demand is a …

Iranwire – On Thursday, April 22, the official number of daily Covid-19 fatalities in Iran passed 450 for the first time in 2021.The jump in the number of new cases has not only coincided with a shortage of hospital beds in both common wards and ICUs, but a shortage of equipment and facilities. Tehran’s Masih Daneshvari Hospital is a well-known …

Al-Monitor – Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based advocacy organization, joined a growing chorus of Iranians to urge the release of veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad. “He is ailing and deprived from the right to treatment. His life is in danger,” read a post on the organization’s official Persian Twitter account. The statement accused Iranian authorities of “arbitrarily” imprisoning the …

Iran-HRM – The lives of prisoners in the Central Prison of Karaj are increasingly in danger with the start of a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Reports from inside the overcrowded and unhygienic prison indicate that testing, treatment and care are not carried out for sick prisoners and the authorities have failed to take adequate infection prevention …

Iran-HRM – At least 84 people have attempted suicide in just one day in the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to the state-run Rokna news agency. From Thursday, April 15 to Friday, April 16, 84 suicide attempts have been registered in different parts of Tehran, of which 12 suicides resulted in death. According to the report, eight people committed suicide by …

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 …