More than 16,100 people have died of coronavirus in 237 cities checkered across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as of Wednesday afternoon local time, April 2. This is a 600 uptick from the previous day. The regime's official death toll is 3,160, less than a fifth of the real figure.
The death toll in various provinces include: 2,080 in Tehran, 1,300 in Mazandaran, 655 in Alborz, 425 in Ardebil, 32 in Bushehr, 750 in Golestan, 210 in Northern Khorasan, 690 in Khuzestan, 110 in Semnan, 160 in Sistan and Baluchestan, 110 in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, 35 in Hormozgan, and 320 in Yazd. This is in addition to the figures in other provinces.
Over 16,100 dead of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran
After several days of lying about having established control over the spread of COVID-19 across Iran, regime president Hassan Rouhani acknowledged that the contagion is more serious than he admits. “We can’t say that the coronavirus issue will be over on which day. It might remain for months or until the end of the year. We don’t have a short path until we reach the end of the road,” Rouhani said.
On the previous night, during the meeting of the Coronavirus Task Force, health minister Saeid Namaki said, “The number of cases in approximately eight provinces is on the rise, and in 32 provinces, the situation is stable.” But he also added, “The curve should not deceive us. A single blow might knock us out.”
A group of former managers of the medical schools wrote to Rouhani that the number of casualties per capita in Iran is 15 times higher than in China. “How come you encourage people to stay in their homes but keep the banks and government offices open. What should the merchants do? What should the contract-workers do? How will the people who have no insurance coverage fare? People see the contradictions in remarks made by officials and understand that you do not have a hold on the situation. The number of critical patients and ICU beds and the dying medical staff all indicate that the situation has only worsened since last week According to the reports of the Task Force, 2,000 new cases were added three days ago, 2,500 hundred cases were added yesterday, and 3,000 cases were added today.”
Ahmad Tavakoli, a member of the Expediency Council, wrote, “The president claims that the number of coronavirus cases is reducing in every province. But the official numbers released by the health ministry, especially in the past week, show an alarming rise. Rouhani claimed hospital beds and ICUs were empty, which has not been accepted by the public opinion.”
During the Coronavirus Task Force meeting, Hossein Ashtari, the head of the state security forces, revealed his fear of social protests and said, “Contract workers must leave their homes to make ends meet… they are from the weak segments of the society… they’ve been told to stay in their homes, but it’s been a month or two that they have no income. If the situation remains, we might be facing other damages and post-coronavirus incidents.”
In other news, regime officials declared that Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Majlis (parliament), has contracted COVID-19. On Thursday, the public relations of the Majlis declared that Larijani tested positive for the virus after showing symptoms. The state-run Iran Online news website declared that 8-14 percent of MPs have contracted COVID-19. Analysts say that the fact that regime officials are contracting coronavirus and dying despite having access to the best facilities indicates that the virus has spread beyond the control of the regime.
