Health official: COVID-19 status serious across almost all of Iran

Iran’s Deputy Minister of Health, Iraj Harirchi, said the status of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran was “absolutely not good,” adding that almost all of the country is at risk due to the virus.

Harirchi explained during an interview with state television that nearly 4,000 people are admitted to hospitals every day due to catching the virus or for being suspected of catching it.

According to the Iranian health official, the death rate from the virus is expected to rise in the next two to three weeks due to the high number of daily infections, noting that 10 per cent of those who had been admitted to hospitals will die.

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The death rates from the virus in the city of Mashhad, the second largest city in Iran, have recently escalated by about 300 per cent, he said, adding that the capital, Tehran has become a hotbed for infections and for transmitting the disease to other regions.

At least 600 cases of COVID-19 are admitted to hospitals in Tehran every day, he said.

For the past month, Iran has recorded more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 every day, and about 200 deaths.