Iran coronavirus update: Over 103,400 deaths, third peak anticipated in capital Tehran

Reporting by PMOI/MEK

Iran, September 15, 2020—Over 103,400 people have died of the novel coronavirus in 433 cities checkered across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to reports tallied by the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as of Tuesday afternoon local time, September 15. The official death count declared by the regime stands at 23,453, around a fifth of the actual figure.

The coronavirus death toll in various provinces include: 24,995 in Tehran, 7463 in Razavi Khorasan, 5012 in Mazandaran, 4769 in Isfahan, 4603 in Lorestan, 4281 in Gilan, 2941 in Golestan, 2936 in Alborz, 2738 in West Azerbaijan, 2607 in Hamedan, 759 in Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, and 715 in Kohgiluyeh & Boyer Ahmed. This is in addition to reports obtained from other provinces.

On Tuesday the regime’s Health Ministry spokesperson announced 2705 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24-hour period, emphasizing this is the highest such stats in the past month.

“Last week in comparison to the week before we are witnessing a new rise in this illness. For example, in Tehran, when comparing the past two weeks with each other, the number of new daily coronavirus cases have jumped from 900 to 1800. This means in one week the number of new cases and those hospitalized have doubled,” said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi on Tuesday. “In some other provinces we are also witnessing a new rise in this virus,” he added, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

“The Covid-19 stats in Tehran have been increasing and we are forecasting that Tehran is heading for a third coronavirus wave,” said Alireza Zali, head of the Tehran Covid-19 Task Force on Tuesday. “A third wave in Tehran will be far faster than other provinces and the numbers of the past 72 hours indicate that Tehran is registered as a red zone and entering a new phase. The Covid-19 stats in Tehran in comparison to last week is witnessing an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized and deaths. We recommend that restrictions be reimposed, especially employees working at home. In the past 24 hours we have seen 659 new patients be hospitalized across Tehran province, of which 143 are in ICUs,” he added, according to the state-run Hamshahri daily.

“Qom is a major red zone and the situation is concerning,” said the dean of Qom Medical Sciences University on Monday. “Yesterday we witnessed a large peak in the spread of Covid-19 in Qom. In one day, we had 120 people hospitalized and our ICUs are full. Some patients who need special care are placed in ordinary rooms. The medical staff’s tolerance is endangered. All gatherings must be cancelled, and we repeat once again that we are against any kind of gathering even in open areas. There might be a catastrophe in the near future. If we have three patients hospitalized for each 100,000 people, we will be in red conditions. However, yesterday we had 12 people hospitalized for each 100,000 people,” he added, according to the state-run Khabar Fouri website.

 

 

In Isfahan, the spokesperson of the local Medical Sciences University said the Covid-19 spread in this province has shown no sign of improvement. “The number of positive Covid-19 cases in one day this week in medical centers covered by this institution was nearly one third of the total number announced for the entire country,” he said on Tuesday. “Regarding the total number of Covid-19 cases we are in similar conditions we witnessed back in February, where as in regards to the spread of this virus we are in far worse conditions in comparison to the first peak,” he continued, according to ISNA.

The health ministry spokesperson in Bushehr province said, “In the current week, we’ve faced a 36-percent increase in the number of cases. The number of deaths and hospitalized patients in this province is higher than the national average and the situation of the disease in most counties of the province is sensitive and fragile.” (Source: IRNA, September 15)

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stressed that the spike in coronavirus cases before the beginning of fall and the flu season is the result of the criminal policies of regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei and regime president Hassan Rouhani. On the one hand, they reopened schools without any health and precautionary measures, while on the other, they held crowded mourning ceremonies during the month of Muharram. The coronavirus outbreak in Iran could have had a much smaller scale, Mrs. Rajavi said.

Iran coronavirus outbreak death toll interactive map