Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll in 410 Cities Surpasses 97,300

Iraj Harirchi: Next week, we will see an increase in Coronavirus outpatients, two to three weeks later, an increase in hospitalizations, and four to six weeks later, an increase in the death toll. (Hamshahri daily, August 31)

• Head of Bandar Mahshahr Health Network: During the past two weeks, the result of 10 to 15% of Coronavirus tests was positive, but in recent days, up to 90% of the test results have been positive, which is a worrying sign of the spread of the disease chain.
• Babol’s Yahya Nejad Hospital: Our staff is decreasing every day due to extreme fatigue; three to five people are taking sick leave every day. If this continues, we will have to close down the Hospital due to lack of workforce in the winter (ILNA, August 31)
• Health Ministry’s Spokesperson: Since May, we have witnessed an upward trend in Coronavirus outbreak and hospitalization in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and now the virus has reached its peak, the highest rate since the beginning of the disease. (IRNA, August 31)

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on August 31, 2020, that the Coronavirus fatalities in 410 cities across Iran had passed 97,300. The number of victims in Khorasan Razavi is 6,900, Khuzestan 6,492, Mazandaran 4,708, Qom 4,565, Isfahan 4,385, Gilan 4,018, Sistan and Baluchestan 3,054, East Azerbaijan 2,840, Golestan 2,796, Alborz 2,788, Fars 2,732, Hamedan 2,488, Kermanshah 2,321, Kurdistan 1,991, Hormozgan 1,299, Central Province 1,261, Semnan 1,257, Yazd 1,209, Bushehr 1,202, Ardabil 1,187, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad 625.

Masih Mohajeri, the editor in chief of the Jomhouri-e Eslami newspaper and presidential advisor during the Rafsanjani and Khatami eras, wrote in the paper’s editorial today, “Those people who did not heed the advice, requests, and warnings of the country’s health officials and traveled despite being aware of the danger of the virus, contributed to the emergence of this danger. The risk is high, but the main blame is on the National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce (NCCT), which did not pass a resolution banning or restricting travel. The fundamental question for the Health Minister is, why did you not pass a resolution at the NCCT to prevent unnecessary travels? You and the NCCT are responsible for the protection of the people’s lives, and no one will accept shortcomings in these areas.”

Another state-run daily, Setareh- Sobh wrote, today, “Mr. President … the third Coronavirus peak is on its way due to (state) policies, and the responsibility for the lives of those who may die is on you and the Health Minister.”

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

August 31, 2020