Coronavirus Funds Still Unpaid as Cases Rise

Funds allocated to cope with Iran's coronavirus crisis are still being withheld, Iran's taskforce on the epidemic has reported. 

Dr. Alireza Zali, director of the Tehran Coronavirus Taskforce, called for medical workers to be paid their salaries and overtime, pointing out that medical workers had put their lives at risk. In the last eight months, 200 members of the medical community had died, he said. 

Prior to this, health minister Saeed Namaki had complained that the health sector had yet to receive the one billion euros the National Development Fund allocated to it to deal with the crisis. As of October 13, the Ministry of Health has received only 27 percent of the promised amount. Central Bank officials claimed they were holding off the release of the rest of the money to prevent inflation and the devaluation of the Iranian currency. This money was meant to be used to fight coronavirus and pay the salaries and overtime of medical staff.

On October 13, the daily death toll from Covid-19 was 257, less than the record-breaking death toll of 272 the previous day but still extremely worrying. Amid increasing reports of entire families being admitted to hospitals, health officials have started describing Iran’s third wave of coronavirus as a “family wave.” Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said one survey assessed the rise in infections within families and suggested that health precautions were not being taken in people’s homes. Provincial officials in Isfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Qazvin, Hamedan and several other provinces have reported a rise in family infections.

Most hospitals have run out of beds, with officials reporting worn-out equipment and widespread exhaustion among medical staff after eight months of the non-stop fight against the pandemic.

The practice of wearing masks has declined across the country, according to Ali Rabiei, a government spokesman. “Bakeries and restaurants have received the highest number of health warnings and, unfortunately, compliance with health protocols in the country is down to 42 percent and, in Tehran, down to 32 percent,” he said. At the National Coronavirus Taskforce meeting it was reported that the high number of fatalities in recent days has been caused by delays in people getting to treatment centers when the disease had advanced.

Commenting on the death of Covid-19 patients who do not have underlying diseases, Dr. Minoo Moharez, a member of the National Coronavirus Taskforce’s Scientific Committee, said: “Obese people who are infected with Covid-19 often die. This virus also inflicts damage on veins that can lead to severe problems for vital organs such as the brain, the lungs and the heart, and can cause sudden death.”

Provinces Round-up

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, four out of every 100 Covid-19 patients hospitalized at Great Dezful Hospital have died, according to Reza Pouraeen, president of Dezful Health Center in Khuzestan province. “Out of every 100 residents of Dezful, two have been infected with coronavirus,” he said, adding that “20 percent of people with coronavirus have been hospitalized and the rest have been treated as outpatients.” He said as of October 13, 361 people had died from Covid-19 in Dezful.

The number of coronavirus fatalities among the elderly and children under 10 has increased in Gilan province, reported Dr. Arsalan Salari, president of Gilan University of Medical Sciences. “Unfortunately the number of coronavirus fatalities in Gilan has increased and the number of patients released from hospitals has decreased,” he said. “In the last 24 hours 66 people have been infected with coronavirus.” According to him, 70 percent of patients who had recovered from coronavirus are at risk of being infected again.

In the 24-hour-period spanning October 12 and October 13, 129 Covid-19 patients in critical condition were hospitalized in Alborz province and 15 have died, bringing the total death toll in the province to 1,337, according to Dr. Mohammad Fathi, president of Alborz University of Medical Sciences. As of October 13, he said, 739 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized in the province.

With 18 deaths in the last 24 hours, Markazi province has broken its record for the highest daily death toll, said Dr. Mohammad Jamalian, president of Arak University of Medical Sciences. He also reported that out of the 426 people newly reported to have contracted coronavirus, 44 have had to be hospitalized. “There are also 382 new outpatients who have been quarantined at home until their tests return negative and they have recovered,” he said.

In her daily briefing for October 13, the health ministry spokeswoman Dr. Sima Sadat Lari announced the official coronavirus statistics for the last 24 hours.

Dr. Lari also reported that, out of the 31 Iranian provinces, currently 30 provinces are still in a high state of alert.

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