Number of coronavirus cases surpasses one million in Iran
The number of fatalities, however, appears to have slightly eased in past days ater soaring to a daily average of more than 400 for much of November
Iran said its novel coronavirus infections surpassed one million cases on Thursday as the authorities consider easing restrictions in many parts of the Middle East’s hardest hit country.
The Islamic republic has recorded 1,003,494 COVID-19 infections since announcing its first cases in February, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state television.
The novel coronavirus has killed 49,348 people in Iran over the same period of time, according to official figures.
But by the admission of some officials, including Health Minister Saeed Namaki, these figures are much lower than the reality.
In the past 24 hours the virus caused 358 new deaths in the country with a population of more than 80 million, and 13,922 new cases of infection, Lari said.
The number of fatalities, however, appears to have slightly eased in past days ater soaring to a daily average of more than 400 for much of November.
COVID-19 first surfaced in Iran on Feb.19, when authorities said it claimed the lives of two elderly people in Qom, a Shiite holy city south of the capital.
They were the first confirmed deaths from the disease in the Middle East.
In response, the authorities have taken a series of measures aimed at halting the spread of the virus.
But faced with the dual challenge of US sanctions and the pandemic, they have never imposed full lockdowns for fear they would cause further damage to Iran’s batered economy.
US President Donald Trump has reimposed wave of sanctions on the Islamic republic since 2018, when he unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.
Despite this, non-essential businesses were closed for two weeks in areas at the highest risk on Nov.21, reinforcing restrictions President Hassan Rouhani said were needed to curb a “third wave” of the outbreak.
The measures apply to the vast majority of cities across Iran, including Tehran and the country’s 30 other provincial capitals.
Like most countries affected by the pandemic, Iran — which began developing its own vaccine in the spring — is awaiting the availability of any vaccine against the virus. Namaki announced on Wednesday that an Iranian company had “obtained a licence to test a vaccine on humans.”
Minou Mohraz, a medical epidemiologist with the National Coronavirus Control Commitee, announced this week that an animal testing phase has been completed.
They have yet to specify when testing will be carried out on humans.
But Namaki said that if the step is successful, “we will be one of the major producers (of COVID-19 vaccines) in the region by early next spring.”
Iran had “pre-purchased” about 16.8 million doses of vaccine “via Covax” — the World Health Organisation’s ( WHO) mechanism for equitable access to vaccines, he was quoted as saying on the ministry’s website, without specifying which one.
LEBANON: Lebanon will not have enough hospital beds to cope with increasing COVID-19 cases, the health minister in the caretaker government warned on Thursday, saying compliance with a two-week lockdown that ended this week had been patchy.
In a tweet, Hamad Hassan said cases were on the rise and although more hospital beds had been added, these would not be enough.
Intensive care units were at critical capacity when Lebanon ordered the lockdown and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab had warned the shutdown may be extended if people did not comply.
The health ministry said on Wednesday 1,842 COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths had been recorded in the past 24 hours. Recorded deaths due to COVID-19 total 1,055 in the country of 6 million, where healthcare is deteriorating.
On top of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanon is in the throes of a major financial and economic crisis and still grappling with the atermath of the Aug. 4 explosion at Beirut port.
Earlier, France and the United Nations vowed to keep providing humanitarian aid to Lebanon but urged the country’s leaders to form a new government as a political deadlock in Beirut has blocked billions of dollars in assistance for the cash-strapped country hit by multiple crises.