Health and Hygiene

VOA – Shiite shrines that attract tens of millions of visitors annually have come under focus in Iran as the country grapples with the spread of the coronavirus.   The outbreak of the virus in Iran prompted the government to request the closure of major shrines in cities like Qom, Mashhad and Shiraz, but Iran’s powerful clerics have rejected or ignored …

CHRI – Grave Concerns About the Spread of COVID-19 in Iranian Prisons Hashem Khastar (left) and Mohammad Nourizad (right). Relatives of prisoners of conscience who were imprisoned in Iran after publicly calling on the supreme leader to resign have called on Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi to allow their loved ones to go on furlough (temporary leave) to protect them from contracting the potentially deadly …

Al-Monitor – Iran is closer to an effective shutdown amid a worsening coronavirus epidemic that was first reported last Wednesday in the city of Qom, the center of its powerful clergy and home to much-visited holy shrines. As of Feb. 25, the official death toll from the country’s Health Ministry stood at 15, a figure likely to jump as suspected cases approach the 1,000 mark in at least 11 affected provinces.  …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Health Ministry has raised the number of coronavirus deaths from 12 to 15 on Tuesday, February 25 and says there are 34 new cases of infection bringing the total to 95 confirmed cases. A man disinfects the shrine of Saint Masoumeh against coronavirus in the city of Qom, February 25, 2020 Most of the 34 new cases …

Iran’s Health Ministry has dismissed a claim by a lawmaker from Qom that the death toll from the disease in the holy Shi’ite city is about four times higher than the official number and that the government is covering up the extent of the disease’s spread in Iran. Speaking in parliament on February 24, Qom lawmaker Ahmad Amirabadi-Farahani was quoted …

PayvandNews – Fears of a coronavirus pandemic, or global outbreak, are growing as countries including Iran, Italy, and South Korea are battling to contain the spread of the disease that has already killed around 2,600 people in China. Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait on February 24 reported their first cases of the COVID-19 virus — all involving people who had …

Al-Arabia – Coronavirus has killed around 50 people in Qom, the Iranian city’s representative in parliament said, according to the semi-official ILNA news agency. The comments by MP Ahmad Amirabadi Farhani suggest that coronavirus is far more widepsread in Iran than previously thought. The Iranian government announced on Monday morning that the total stood at 12 in the entire country, raising questions …

RFL/RE – Fears of a coronavirus pandemic, or global outbreak, are growing as countries including Iran, Italy, and South Korea are battling to contain the spread of the disease that has already killed around 2,600 people in China.Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait on February 24 reported their first cases of the COVID-19 virus — all involving people who had come …

Al-Arabia – The death toll from the deadly coronavirus rose to 18 in Iran on Sunday, reported Al Arabiya citing Iranian sources. The Iranian government confirmed two more deaths on Sunday, putting their total to eight, but Al Arabiya sources put the number initally at 18 and then at “more than 15.” On the same day, Iran International media outlet …

Radiofarda – Iran’s health ministry announced three more deaths from coronavirus to 8 in total, the second highest in the world after China. The number of those infected was also raised from 28 to 43 people. While most of the deaths are from the central province of Qom, four victims died in the capital city, Tehran. Iran’s Ministry of Health …