Iran's Daily Virus Cases Hit 10-Day High

EghtesadOnline: Over 2,150 were diagnosed with Covid-19 in Iran on Monday, the country’s highest overnight tally in the past 10 days, taking the national caseload to 388,810.

News ID: ۷۵۰۹۲۵

08 September 2020

“Nearly half of the newly-detected patients required hospitalization,” Health Ministry’s Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari was quoted as saying by ISNA.

The contagious virus claimed the lives of at least 117 within a 24-hour period, taking the total death toll to 22,410, she added.

Nearly five have died from the novel coronavirus per hour in the past 10 days, while some 79 were infected and 72 recovered.

According to Lari, 13 of Iran’s 31 provinces are on red alert and 15 are in an alarming state.

Mohammad Jazayeri, a specialist in viral diseases, said he found it improbable for Iranians to access a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

“Contrary to the flu shot, thousands of which doses are imported by Iran every year, the same does not go for the coronavirus vaccine. We are talking about tens of millions of vaccines,” he added.

Jazayeri noted that any factory, which sets up a Covid-19 vaccine line, will prioritize the population of its own country, which will be followed by countries that pre-orde the vaccine.

He also said sanctions will make access to the vaccine all the more difficult for Iranians.

In preparation for the influenza season, Iran is importing millions of influenza shots in the coming weeks.

Ali Maher, an official of Tehran’s coronavirus taskforce, warned that the concurrence of influenza season with the coronavirus epidemic will be worse in Tehran, due to air pollution.

Over 335,000 across the country have recovered from the respiratory illness while 3,730 are hospitalized in intensive care units.

Iran has carried out 3.4 million diagnostic tests since the start of the outbreak.

Worldwide, 27.3 million have caught the deadly virus, which has so far killed 894,000.