What is the real size of the coronavirus epidemic in Iran?
PARIS: International experts are questioning the scale of the new coronavirus epidemic in Iran, where the official death toll is second only to China and risks creating a regional epicenter of contagion. While Iran has acknowledged 43 deaths among 593 confirmed infections nationwide - with a vice-president and deputy health minister among those testing positive - unofficial tolls are much higher.
The London-based BBC Persian service says 210 people have been killed by the virus; a figure it says it collated from hospital sources. The report was immediately dismissed by Iran’s health ministry. The People’s Mujahedin, an exiled organization that Tehran considers a terrorist group, claims that the epidemic has killed “more than 300”, while infecting
up to 15,000 across the country.
Six epidemiologists based in Canada used a mathematical model to estimate that there have been more than 18,000 cases on Iranian soil. Their calculations - not yet peer reviewed - take into account the number of cases in other countries that originated from Iran. “When a country exports cases to other destinations it’s very likely that the burden of infection in this country is significant”, according to Isaac Bogoch, coauthor of the study and a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of Toronto.
‘Position of weakness’ This week, Reporters Without Borders added its own criticism of Tehran’s handling of the outbreak, accusing the government of stifling news on the spread of the virus. “The authorities insist they have the situation under control but they have... obstructed journalists trying to cover the story,” the media advocacy group said in a statement.
On Saturday, Iran’s health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour responded to the criticisms, accusing foreign media of spreading false news. “Among Iran’s radicals, there is an obsession with not giving ammunition to the enemy and avoiding appearing weak,” said Thierry Coville, an Iran analyst at the French Institute for
International and Strategic Affairs. Iranian Twitter user Assieh Bakeri speculated: “Talking about coronavirus could soon be considered troubling for public opinion, undermining public security and insulting the president!” —AFP