Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, September 26, 2020—Over 110,000 people have died of the novel coronavirus in 444 cities checkered across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to reports tallied by the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as of Saturday afternoon local time, September 26. The official death count declared by the regime stands at 25,394, around a fifth of the actual figure.
The coronavirus death toll in various provinces include: 26,301 in Tehran, 8161 in Razavi Khorasan, 5409 in Isfahan, 5242 in Mazandaran, 4905 in Qom, 4888 in Lorestan, 3075 in Alborz, 3518 in East Azerbaijan, 2881 in West Azerbaijan, 1431 in Semnan, 998 in Qazvin, and 742 in South Khorasan. This is in addition to reports obtained from other provinces.
Infographic-Over 110,000 dead of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran
Regime President Hassan Rouhani once again blamed the people of Iran for the coronavirus pandemic. “The people abided by the protocols around 48 to 53 percent. These numbers are low, and we call on the people to increase their cooperation so that we can surpass these stages. People not abiding by these protocols results in problems for us… We are announcing today that we are forced to increase the regulations and supervising measures,” he said on Saturday.
“We are warning again and again for people to refrain from unnecessary commuting. However, the government and the Education Ministry are pushing people into the streets under various pretexts,” said Minoo Mohraz, a member of the National Task Force on Saturday. “Iran is on a wave. One can no longer say the first or third wave. Unfortunately, the country is constantly on a Covid-19 wave. There are no empty beds in our hospitals. In many of the provinces they are forced to place oxygen capsules in the hallways or courtyards to treat the patients. Considering that our medical professionals are very tired and fatigued, if we continue this trend the country will be facing a catastrophe. The National Covid-19 Task Force has been against reopening schools from day one. Now they have reopened schools two weeks early and this is completely wrong. Why should we compare ourselves with Germany when we are in such dire and sensitive circumstances? Why have we not built the necessary infrastructure for remote education during the past seven years (referring to the beginning of Rouhani coming to power as president)? The Mofid Pediatrics Hospital has not had an empty bed for a long time,” she added, according to the state-run Jahane Sanat daily.
Nahid Khodakarami, the head of the health committee of Tehran City Council, said, “The limited control of Covid-19 has resulted in the death of 12,000 Tehran citizens and 25,000 Iranian citizens. These are not numbers. They are sweet lives that are lost and continue to be lost. And the social, mental, and economic consequences of this terrible tragedy have not become evident yet.”
The dean of Qom Medical Sciences University said, “Qom’s hospitals are becoming filled and around 800 beds are occupied. We’re witnessing an intense third Covid-19 peak in Qom. The contagiousness of the virus has increased and around 75 percent of the tests in Qom turn out to be positive. We demand the implementation of restrictions such as online education, the reduction of working hours and the shutdown of dangerous jobs.” (Source: IRNA, September 26)
The provincial governor of Alborz said, “The steep slope of the spread of coronavirus continues and we have no other choice than to impose weeklong restrictions. The increase of Covid-19 infection among youth is very alarming. The high number of cases has exhausted the medical staff.” (Source: Mehr News Agency, September 26)
Meanwhile, the distribution of flu vaccines to Majlis (parliament) members has caused new humiliation for the regime. Former MP Mahmoud Sadeghi tweeted, “This shows the institutionalized distance between rulers and the people. They also imported Favipiravir pills from China and used most of it to treat officials who are ‘better than the rest of us.’”
In retort, Alireza Salimi, member of the Majlis presidium said, “Some MPs from the tenth Majlis received free flu shots twice a year, and to be transparent, we should publish a list of MPs who received the vaccine. Some MPs from the tenth Majlis lied at the end of their term that they had contracted Covid-19, and the falsehood of their claims became evident.”
Iran coronavirus outbreak death toll interactive map
