Concerns mount as Iran gripped by third major COVID-19 wave

Tehran, Iran – Iran is now in the grip of a third major wave of COVID-19 infections and most of its 32 provinces are classified as red on a colour-coded scale denoting the severity, with the capital experiencing the severest outbreak. The official tally shows Iran recorded 195 new deaths on Sunday, bringing the total to 25,589 in the country battling the worst coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East. Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari also announced during her daily COVID-19 briefing that 3,362 more daily infections were registered, upping the total to 446,448. Hospitals are caring for 1,377 patients at the moment, Lari said. On Friday, the number of daily infections rose above 3,500 for the first time since the start of the pandemic in Iran in February and the number of deaths was above 200 for the first time in almost two months. In the past week, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani have issued direct warnings for people to better adhere to public health guidelines. “Do not underestimate corona,” Khamenei said in a live televised speech last week. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">