Iranian health officials have raised alarm about a new wave of coronavirus infections sweeping the capital, Tehran, with the Delta variant infecting thousands of people.
Nader Tavakoli, a member of the coronavirus task force told local media that hospitals in Tehran have reached full capacity, with 1,300 patients having been hospitalized on Sunday.
Tavakoli added that the Delta variant identified in India is responsible for the surge in infections. The new virus strain was first reported in southern Iran and in south-east close to Pakistan, where the situation remains serious. Many reports say hospitals are not able to cope with Covid-19 cases in Sistan and Baluchistan province, which already suffers from poverty and poor infrastructure.
Tavakoli also said that currently 6,700 patients are hospitalized in Tehran Province and hospitals have agreed to increase their capacity to deal with the crisis.
Iran has so far failed in vaccinating a significant percentage of its population, having refused early on to secure vaccine supplies. In recent weeks thousands of Iranians have traveled to neighboring Armenia to receive free vaccination, leading to criticism of Iranian authorities on social media.
More than 86,000 people have died according to official government figures since February 2020, but some health officials, politicians and the media say the real number of deaths could be more than double of the official figure.
Source » iran international