While Iran’s hospitals are overfilled with COVID-19 patients, Iranians on social media blame the deaths of thousands on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who banned the imports of US and UK-made vaccines in January.

In the past months, Health Ministry officials talked of importing vaccines from China and Russia and building a domestic vaccine. However, as Iran nears its fifth peak of the COVID-19 virus, health officials say China and Russia did not keep their promises.

With an increase of COVID-19 deaths, the state-run Iran Daily reported creating mass graves to bury COVID-19 victims. Cemeteries are filled and provinces report not having enough room to bury the COVID-19 victims.

Iran’s death toll and daily COVID-19 contractions are still on the rise, and official statistics put the number of daily COVID-19 contractions at 39,019 for today.

Iran’s Deputy Health Minister, Iraj Harirchi, also confirmed the actual numbers of COVID-19 related deaths are much higher since the Health Ministry statistics only count those who have tested positive on a COVID-19 PCR Test.

In Tehran’s Masih Daneshvari Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Tehran, patients were kept outdoors since the hospital had reached full capacity.

Payam Tabresi, Head of the Masih Daneshvari Hospital’s Infectious Department said there are 500 COVID-19 patients coming to the hospital daily, and at least 50 to 60 of them should be hospitalized. However, the hospital only has room for 20 of them, and there are not enough beds. He said many who are hospitalized at home pass away.

He added that the fifth peak will not lessen with medication because there is not enough room to even care for sick patients.

Seyed Jalil Mirmohammadi, the Deputy of the Health Commission in parliament said yesterday that nine out of ten people who come to hospitals are infected with the Delta variant of the virus.

Nahid Khodakarami, Head of Tehran’s City Council Health Committee also said that people’s lives were sacrificed for the domestic vaccine.

“Those who decided to ban the vaccine had a part in the current situation. We sacrificed people’s lives for the domestic vaccine. The AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are creditable and provide high immunity,” she said.

She also said that there are currently 400 burials in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery. She said they have considered a free grave for each person in Tehran.

In Tehran, graves are sold for 500,000 tomans ($19).

Angry Iranians on social media expressed outrage that Iran’s officials are offering free graves while the COVID-19 virus is consuming innocent lives due to Khamenei’s vaccine ban. They ridiculed the regime, saying this is their gift to the people after 42 years. Twitter users referred to the recent blackouts and water shortages, saying instead of free water and electricity, they have been given free graves.

On August 1, the spokesman of Iran’s COVID-19 Taskforce said that 29 out of 31 provinces are dealing with the COVID-19 Delta variant, while Iran’s outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani defended Iran’s vaccination plan, saying they are “ahead of schedule”. Iranians are openly blaming Khamenei for the deaths of COVID-19 victims, who could have been saved if he had not banned the reputable US and UK-made vaccines.

Source » irannewswire