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Official Coronavirus Death Toll in Iran Passes 40,000

November 12, 2020
Pouyan Khoshhal
4 min read
In many cities across Iran, non-essential businesses and services have been instructed to close early, at 6pm
In many cities across Iran, non-essential businesses and services have been instructed to close early, at 6pm
With 462 coronavirus deaths and 11,780 new confirmed cases, Iran broke its daily record again
With 462 coronavirus deaths and 11,780 new confirmed cases, Iran broke its daily record again
National Taskforce Scientific Committee member Dr. Minoo Moharez and other health experts have called for a two-week lockdown in Tehran and other cities
National Taskforce Scientific Committee member Dr. Minoo Moharez and other health experts have called for a two-week lockdown in Tehran and other cities

On Thursday, November 12, the official figure for coronavirus fatalities in Iran exceeded 40,000. On November 10, the nighttime lockdown of non-essential businesses and services and limited curfew of traffic in many big cities, including Tehran, got underway. These restrictions are to last for a month and, as of November 12, it was not clear what effect they would have on the chain of transmission. Government officials say that the country had to be patient, and that after the restrictions were in place for a period of time, an assessment could be made as to how effective they were. At that point, a decision could be made about extensive and strict lockdowns.

But not everybody agrees that Iran has time to spare. “The businesses are open in the mornings, metro and bus lines are busy as well and this means that the virus is being transmitted,” said Dr. Minoo Moharez, a member of the National Coronavirus Taskforce’s Scientific Committee. “If we cannot impose a two-week lockdown then we must have at least a one-week lockdown so that the situation gets better. But now that the government has decided to close businesses from 6pm, we will wait to see the results in the next couple of days. If it proves to be effective then so much the better, but if has no effect a decision to lock down the country for at least a week must be made as soon as possible so that everybody will stay at home.”

The National Coronavirus Taskforce will make a decision regarding a two-week lockdown on Saturday, November 14, according to deputy health minister Ghasem Jan-Babaei. As of November 12, however, the decisions approved by the taskforce have proven to be ineffective, to such a degree that Covid-19 records are being broken day by day.

Commenting on the decision to allow 50 percent of government employees to work remotely, Anooshirvan Mohseni Bandpey, governor of Tehran province, said: “this has been effective in terms of social distancing in offices but has done nothing to reduce traffic.”

Reports over the last few days show that buses and metros have actually become more crowded because most businesses and offices have been forced to close at 6pm.

 

Provinces Round-up

“The number of fatalities in the last few weeks in the Razavi Khorasan province show that the virus is at its peak in this province,” said President Rouhani. But Mohammad Hossein Bahraini, president of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences believes that the situation in the province has improved in recent days and the number of infections and fatalities has fallen.

Nevertheless, Mohsen Gachpazan, president of the board of directors of the Nursing Organization in Mashhad region reports that approximately 40 percent of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in this area where 11 thousand nurses work have been infected with coronavirus. Gachpazan, who himself has been infected with coronavirus and is now in quarantine, said that a complete lockdown of all cities in the province that are in a state of high alert is necessary and “no economic problem is more important than the people’s lives.”

Dr. Alireza Sedaghat, head of the ICU ward at Mashhad’s Imam Reza Hospital, also believes that quarantine is the only real solution. “More than 50 percent of our nurses in our ICU have been infected,” he said. “20 percent of them are now being treated in the ICU ward and this is a disaster.”

At the request of local governors and due to economic problems, restrictions in six cities in Kermanshah will be lifted from Saturday, November 14, announced Houshang Bazvand, governor of Kermanshah province.

At the same time, however, Mehdi Mohammadi, head of Kermanshah University of Medical Science’s Coronavirus Information Office, reported that the rate of infections in the province is increasing. “Currently 1,239 coronavirus patients are hospitalized across the province,” he said. “In the past 24 hours 250 new patients with Covid-19 symptoms were hospitalized and 176 were released from the hospitals.” He also reported that in the past 24 hours eight patients lost their lives to Covid-19, bringing the total death toll in the province to 1,017.

In the past 24 hours 16 more Covid-19 patients died in Alborz province and the total death toll in the province now stands at 1,965, reported Dr. Mohammad Fathi, president of Alborz University of Medical Sciences. “In the past 24 hours, 122 new patients with Covid-19 symptoms were hospitalized across the province. Currently 898 confirmed or suspected coronavirus patients are hospitalized in Alborz.”

Iran’s Latest Coronavirus Statistics

In her daily briefing for November 12, health ministry’s spokeswoman Dr. Sima Sadat Lari announced the official coronavirus statistics for the past 24 hours:

Official Coronavirus Death Toll in Iran Passes 40,000

 

Dr. Lari also reported that all 31 Iranian provinces are in red, orange or yellow states of alert.

Official Coronavirus Death Toll in Iran Passes 40,000

 

This is part of IranWire's coronavirus chronology. Read the full chronology

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