LONDON: An Iranian opposition group working within and outside the Islamic republic has released figures that claim nearly half a million people have died of COVID-19 in the country.
Iran had more than 499,800 virus-related deaths, nearly four times the latest official toll of 132,274, according to the People’s Mojahideen Organization of Iran.
In the worst-affected province of Tehran, the PMOI said 116,735 people have lost their lives to COVID-19.
Even according to official figures, Iran is the worst-hit country in the Middle East, with the number of deaths and hospitalizations far higher than its neighbours. It was also the first country in the region where the virus was detected.
Official sources have reported that Iran was currently experiencing a fifth wave of COVID-19, with the number of cases being linked to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, on Monday, the secretary of Iran’s epidemiological committee said: “If we re-impose all sanctions today, and if people fully comply with these rules, our The number of patients will still reach five digits. More than 50 percent of coronavirus cases are from Omicrons.”
And Isfahan University of Medical Sciences spokesman said: “Omicron has become the main variant in (Isfahan) province. The number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases during the past week has reached more than 1,500 cases.”
Also on Monday, ISNA reported that the dean of the Kerman University of Medical Sciences said: “Hopefully, Omicron will flare up in the not-too-distant future. The number of positive coronavirus cases has increased from 30 to 50 percent. The bell has rung.”
Iran’s COVID-19 outbreak has been blamed in some quarters for the regime’s inability to prioritize ideology over an effective response by Tehran.
Last year, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned the importation of British and American-made vaccines, significantly hampering the country’s vaccination campaign and, critics said, leading to more deaths.
In August, Dr. Mohamed-Reza Zafargandi, president of Iran’s non-governmental Licensing and Regulatory Medical Council, criticized the vaccine ban, saying: “The death rate has dropped significantly in countries where they have applied without limitation and setting ( political) have vaccinated the population.
“Will the people who said the import of the vaccine should be banned, be held accountable today?”
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