Covid cases in Iran cross 2mn after sharp surge

TEHRAN/TORONTO: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Iran passed the two million mark on Thursday, while the daily caseload set a new record high in what a health official warned amounted to a “meteoric” spike. As the country reached the grim milestone, some health experts called for a lockdown of Tehran to contain a fourth local Covid-19 wave.

Iran is battling West Asia’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, and officials have blamed the latest surge on trips made during last month’s Persian New Year holidays.

Over the past 24 hours, the country officially recorded 22,586 new cases of infection, reaching a new high, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. This marks an increase of more than 1,600 cases over the previous record, set just the day before.

Iran also recorded an additional 185 virus-related deaths, Lari said, bringing the total to 63,884. Daily fatalities and infections had remained relatively stable below the 100 and 7,000 mark in January, rising only slightly until a sharp increase in late March.

‘10% rise in mobility rate sparks 25% spike in cases’ A 10% increase in the mobility rate or movement of people outside their homes in Canada correlated to a 25% spike in weekly growth rates of Covid-19 infections, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

The study was conducted by researchers from Public Health Ontario, University of Toronto, St Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health, Sinai Health System and University Health Network, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Communications Research Centre Canada, Women’s College Hospital and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

China: Party chief sacked over Covid-19 outbreaks The top Communist Party official of a city in China’s southwestern Yunnan province was dismissed from his post due to what the provincial government called a “serious dereliction of duty” in failing to prevent Covid-19 outbreaks in recent months. Yunnan’s administration said in a statement on Thursday that three separate Covid-19 outbreaks occurred within a half-year period in Ruili city, which borders Myanmar, under the watch of city’s party chief, Gong Yunzun.

The outbreaks “severely affected” Covid-19 prevention efforts, the statement said, adding that Gong’s dismissal should serve as a warning.