Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, June 20, 2020—Over 53,900 people have died of the novel coronavirus in 334 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, June 20. The official death count declared by the regime stands at 9,392, nearly a sixth of the actual figure.
The death toll in various provinces include: 4,430 in Khuzestan, 3,340 in Razavi Khorasan, 2,870 in Mazandaran, 1,995 in Lorestan, 1,810 in Alborz, 645 in Markazi (Central), 435 in Hormozgan, and 370 in Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari. This is in addition to reports obtained from other provinces.
Over 53,900 dead of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran
Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani is known to have constantly downplayed the novel coronavirus outbreak across the country. His remarks have changed quite significantly these days. “This virus will neither go nor can it be uprooted in a short period of time. Currently, we can’t do anything to have complete immunity,” Rouhani said on Saturday during a meeting with the country’s National COVID-19 Task Force on Saturday.
Prior to this, the state-run Khabar Fori website published a piece on Saturday reading, “At a COVID-19 Task Force meeting, in response to Rouhani’s insistence to lift hygiene restrictions as soon as possible, the Health Minister said the novel coronavirus is like a wrestling match that you advance in with points, and then all of a sudden your opponent pins you to the ground. It appears that [Rouhani] intends to normalize the status quo. However, it seems that we are at the brink of the second wave of this virus.”
In Khuzestan province of southwest Iran, physicians in the city of Dezful say the number of COVID-19 patients is increasing with each passing day and pressures are mounting on the medical staff in Ganjavian Hospital. Five physicians are severely ill, and it has been four months that they have been working endlessly. Six hospital sections and three ICU branches are full of patients. There is a desperate need for more physicians and nurses to help the current staff.
Patients are coming to hospitals when they are very ill, have a high fever and their status is critical. Officials from the regime’s classic army, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and even the IRGC Navy came for an inspection of this city and the medical staff voiced their request for aid. However, no such aid or support has been provided so far
In the city of Ahvaz, also in southwest Iran, most of the hospitals are engaged in dealing with the coronavirus. The city’s Razi Hospital was allocated to coronavirus from the very first day. As conditions worsened, many other hospitals in this city were also allocated to addressing the COVID-19 outbreak. Three weeks ago, even a branch of Baghaie Hospital, associated with the IRGC, was allocated to coronavirus patients. Physicians are saying provincial and local officials are first and foremost concerned about security issues. As a result, they are neglecting the medical and health advice provided by the Medical Sciences universities and other qualified sources. This has resulted in a wider spread of the virus.
“In the months of March and early April for a 30-day period, our daily numbers of new cases averaged at around 30 patients. Now it has surpassed the 600 to 700 mark, meaning a 20-fold increase,” said one member of the Jondi Shahpour Medical Sciences University's Board of Experts to state TV on Thursday, June 18.
“The Great Hospital of Dezful, where coronavirus patients from Dezful, Shush, Gatvand and other cities are sent to, has reached its limits. Currently, in addition to ten other sections allocated to accept COVID-19 patients, we have been forced to hospitalize some patients in the emergency branch,” said the head of the Great Hospital of Dezrul on Saturday, according to the regime’s IRNA news agency.
“We have entered the second coronavirus peak. The number of people hospitalized, and the death toll is rising… Controlling the second peak is far more difficult,” according to a Friday report published in the Tabnak website, an outlet affiliated to former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezaie.
“Our conditions are very poor. We are among the red provinces… and we will be paying a heavy price,” said the provincial governor of Kermanshah, according to a Friday report wired by the state-run Zagros news agency.
“As a result of an increase in the number of patients we have added 200 beds to the already 500 special beds allocated for coronavirus patients,” said the dean of Hormozgan Medical Sciences University on Saturday, shedding light the severity of the current situation in this southern province. “Restrictions have been imposed on commuting in all roads, highways linking cities and passenger ports… all villages of this province have been quarantined for two weeks since the start of this week. Unnecessary entry and exits have been banned for the villages,” he added, according to a report wired by IRNA.
“The situation in West Azerbaijan is red and the number of dire patients are increasing with each passing day. The second wave of this illness is in the making… we should be bracing for a humanitarian catastrophe in this regard,” said the deputy governor of West Azerbaijan province in northwest Iran on Friday, according to the Mehr news agency, an outlet affiliated to the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
Iran coronavirus outbreak death toll interactive map
