Health Warning Over Covid-19

Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki warned that believing the Covid-19 pandemic is “done and over with is a grave strategic error”, as it could lead to a terrible catastrophe.
Namaki on Tuesday pleaded with people to respect social distancing measures and remain vigilant, otherwise the country will suffer losses, IRNA reported.
The top health official cautioned, “We can return to an alarming situation at any moment and this is something dreadful and dangerous, as it could sacrifice [the country’s] great pride at the altar of carelessness.”
Namaki noted that Iran has followed three agendas since the outbreak began: managing, controlling and restraining the deadly virus.
“In many parts of the country, we have passed the management phase and entered the second stage of controlling the infection. We have also reached the phase of restraint in many places,” he explained.
In the past 24 hours, 14 out of the 31 provinces in the country did not register new fatalities and five provinces only recorded one death.
Namaki also discussed the closure of mosques and holy sites, which has invited strong criticism from religious authorities across the country during the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims traditionally gather for performing congregational prayers and breaking their fasts.
According to the health minister, the coronavirus taskforce will make a final decision on the reopening of holy sites on Wednesday. The taskforce has also approved the reopening of mosques for two hours after midnight for Muslims to commemorate Laylat-al-Qadr while observing health protocols.

Infections Cross 110,000

Iran’s confirmed Covid-19 patients surpassed 110,000 on Tuesday while the daily death numbers remained steady for the fourth straight day.
Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said Iran has registered 1,481 novel coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 110,767. Overnight deaths remained under 50 for the second consecutive day, adding 48 fatalities that brought the death toll to 6,733.
Jahanpour noted that Iran is among the top five countries with the most recovered patients, as more than 88,000 have been discharged from hospitals.
The number of those in critical condition has remained steady in the past few weeks and ranged between 2,700 and 3,000. As of Tuesday, 2,713 are in intensive care units.
Ove 100 laboratories across the country have conducted 615,477 coronavirus tests in the past 80 days. 
Khuzestan Province, where only 62% of businesses and the general public complied with the Health Ministry’s protocols against the viral infection, is on emergency alert.
According to Jahanpour, a majority of those who required hospitalization live in Tehran and Khuzestan.
Worldwide deaths from the respiratory illness neared 290,000 on Tuesday and the tally of infections topped 4.28 million.