Health and Hygiene

radiofarda – The Islamic Republic’s first ambassador to Vatican, 81-year old cleric Hadi Khosroshahi, has died of coronavirus in Iran, local media reported. A prominent figure in Iran’s hole city of Qom, Khosroshahi was a black-turbaned cleric carrying the title of “Sayyid,” meaning a descendent of Prophet Muhammad. Khosroshahi was transferred to a hospital in Tehran on Wednesday and tested …

rferl.org – Four Iranian lawmakers have tested positive for the coronavirus as the rapid spread of the outbreak forced the cancellation of Friday Prayers in many mosques across the country. Mohammad Ali Vakili, a member of the parliamentary presidium, said in a tweet on February 28 that four of 30 lawmakers in the Majlis, or parliament, tested positive for the …

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 …

Radiofarda – Under heavy pressure from teachers and parents, a media adviser to the Islamic Republic Health Minister said in a tweet on Wednesday, February 26, all schools across Iran would be closed for a week. “As the head of Iran’s counter-coronavirus task force, the Health Minister, Saeed Namaki, has announced the closure of all schools and educational centers across …

Radiofarda – Iranian clerics’ answer to the outbreak of the new Coronavirus COVID-19 has been a deadly blend of superstition, secrecy and denial amid serious concerns among the people. The government says 19 people have dies and 139 others diagnosed with the virus. Many Iranians believe the official numbers are a deliberate underestimation, as officials first hid the news about …

RFL/RE – The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus outbreak in Iran has increased by seven to 26 over the past 24 hours, authorities say, as the disease continues to spread in many regions of the world. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on February 27 that a total of 245 people had tested positive for the virus — …

CHRI – Grave Concerns Mounting Amid Rising Death Toll, Fears of Regional Outbreak Amid a rising death toll in Iran from the COVID-19 coronavirus strain, public health experts are suggesting that the number of infections in the country is significantly higher than those officially reported by the Iranian government. “[Iranian authorities] don’t want to admit that they’re facing a major outbreak,” said public …

CHRI – Reza Khandan, a women’s rights activist and the husband of prominent imprisoned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, has called on Iranian authorities to release his wife and other prisoners to the extent possible to protect them from contracting the potentially deadly COVID-19 coronavirus in overcrowded prisons and detention centers. “After my detention last year, I was incarcerated with 60 people inside …

LA Times – Like many Iranians scared about contracting the deadly coronavirus, Omid Rahimi has been reading the news, tracking rumors and watching television for updates, which, in these unsettled times, has left him only more confused over what to believe and whom to trust. With fears over a rapidly rising death toll, along with disclosures that a top Iranian …