Medics tend to a Covid-19 patient at the Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Health Ministry via AP
Medics tend to a Covid-19 patient at the Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Health Ministry via AP
Medics tend to a Covid-19 patient at the Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Health Ministry via AP
Medics tend to a Covid-19 patient at the Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Health Ministry via AP

Iran reports a Covid-19 death every five minutes as cases surge

Authorities say poor social distancing could cause 600 deaths a day in the coming weeks

The National

October 26, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Hospitals in many Iranian provinces are running out of capacity to handle Covid-19 cases, health authorities say, with the coronavirus now killing about 300 people a day – or one person every five minutes.
Authorities have complained of poor social distancing, and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said the pandemic could cause 600 daily deaths in coming weeks if Iranians failed to respect health protocols in the Middle East's hardest-affected country.
A caption that ran on state television news said an Iranian died of coronavirus every five minutes, a rate that corresponds to daily death tallies reported by the authorities of marginally above or below 300 over the past 20 days.

Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday that 32,616 people had died of the disease and the number of confirmed cases had reached 568,896.
Some experts have doubted the accuracy of Iran's official coronavirus tallies. A report by the Iranian parliament's research centre in April suggested that the coronavirus numbers might be almost twice as high as those announced by the Health Ministry.

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The report said that Iran's official coronavirus figures were based only on the number of deaths in hospitals and those who had already tested positive for the coronavirus.
Schools, mosques, shops, restaurants and other public institutions in Tehran have been closed since October 3. As Covid-19 cases and deaths continued to hit record levels, the closure was extended until November 20, Iran's state TV reported.
Officials said "extreme measures and limitations" will be imposed for one week in at least 43 counties where the infection rates have been alarming. Twenty-one of Iran's 31 provinces are on a coronavirus red alert.
Iran has blamed US sanctions for hampering Tehran's efforts to tackle the outbreak. Washington, accusing Iran of "incompetent and deadly governance", has refused to lift sanctions that were reimposed after 2018 withdrawal of US from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers.

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South Korean groom Chang Seung-yun and his Vietnamese bride Nguyen Thi Ut pose a kiss during a wedding ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic in Seoul, South Korea. EPA
South Korean groom Chang Seung-yun and his Vietnamese bride Nguyen Thi Ut pose a kiss during a wedding ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic in Seoul, South Korea. EPA
A man sanitizes a privacy booth to fight the spread of coronavirus disease at a polling station opened for early voting at Our Lady Help of Christians in Staten Island, New York City, U.S. REUTERS
A man sanitizes a privacy booth to fight the spread of coronavirus disease at a polling station opened for early voting at Our Lady Help of Christians in Staten Island, New York City, U.S. REUTERS
People wearing protective face masks walk in Istiklal Street amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Turkish Health Ministry reports, Turkey's death toll from coronavirus has risen to 9,584 on 23 October 2020 amid spike in new coronavirus cases in the country. EPA
People wearing protective face masks walk in Istiklal Street amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Turkish Health Ministry reports, Turkey's death toll from coronavirus has risen to 9,584 on 23 October 2020 amid spike in new coronavirus cases in the country. EPA
A member of All Nippon Airways Co. ground crew moves a SoftBank Group Corp. Pepper humanoid robot at Haneda Airport departures lobby. The global airline industry is facing a painfully slow recovery from the ongoing effects of the pandemic as carriers slash jobs and secure funds to ride out the crisis. Bloomberg
A member of All Nippon Airways Co. ground crew moves a SoftBank Group Corp. Pepper humanoid robot at Haneda Airport departures lobby. The global airline industry is facing a painfully slow recovery from the ongoing effects of the pandemic as carriers slash jobs and secure funds to ride out the crisis. Bloomberg
A Chinese sailor receives a coronavirus test at a port of the Korea Coast Guard in Incheon, South Korea, after his fishing boat was seized in waters off the city's Socheong Island for illegally fishing in South Korean waters. EPA
A Chinese sailor receives a coronavirus test at a port of the Korea Coast Guard in Incheon, South Korea, after his fishing boat was seized in waters off the city's Socheong Island for illegally fishing in South Korean waters. EPA
Palazzo Chigi Government office is lit with the color of the Italian flag. Since an 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew took effect Friday, people can only move around during those hours for reasons of work, health or necessity. AP Photo
Palazzo Chigi Government office is lit with the color of the Italian flag. Since an 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew took effect Friday, people can only move around during those hours for reasons of work, health or necessity. AP Photo
Lisa Iparrea, director of client services, gives a thumbs up as she helps direct cars through the touchless drive thru food distribution line at the West Houston Assistance Ministries, in Houston. Many people in Houston and around the U.S. live paycheck to paycheck and were caught off guard by the economic fallout from the coronavirus that initially cost the nation 22 million jobs, with 10.7 million still unemployed. AP Photo
Lisa Iparrea, director of client services, gives a thumbs up as she helps direct cars through the touchless drive thru food distribution line at the West Houston Assistance Ministries, in Houston. Many people in Houston and around the U.S. live paycheck to paycheck and were caught off guard by the economic fallout from the coronavirus that initially cost the nation 22 million jobs, with 10.7 million still unemployed. AP Photo
Police patrol on horseback along the St Kilda Esplanade in Melbourne as Australian health officials reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths in Victoria state, which has spent months under onerous restrictions after becoming the epicentre of the country's second wave. AFP
Police patrol on horseback along the St Kilda Esplanade in Melbourne as Australian health officials reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths in Victoria state, which has spent months under onerous restrictions after becoming the epicentre of the country's second wave. AFP
A worker disinfects gates to platforms at Circular Quay train station in Sydney. Australia has been relatively successful in containing the spread of the coronavirus, with about 27,500 cases and 905 deaths in a population of 25 million. AFP
A worker disinfects gates to platforms at Circular Quay train station in Sydney. Australia has been relatively successful in containing the spread of the coronavirus, with about 27,500 cases and 905 deaths in a population of 25 million. AFP
An elderly woman walks past a sign for COVID-19 screening as she enters the Fargo VA Health Care System, a Veterans Affairs hospital, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. REUTERS
An elderly woman walks past a sign for COVID-19 screening as she enters the Fargo VA Health Care System, a Veterans Affairs hospital, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. REUTERS
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