Expert Sounds Alarm on Re-Emerging Covid Hotspots

A member of the National Coronavirus Headquarters on Saturday warned that daily deaths caused by the virus are once again on the rise in certain areas across the country.
Hamid Souri said that signs were pointing to the resurgence of the disease in various regions, signaling the start the pandemic’s sixth wave, IRNA reported.
“It would be unfortunate to witness the sixth peak immediately after the fifth peak,” he noted.
Iran entered the fifth wave of the outbreak over summer. High transmission rates were driven by the contagious Delta variant which, at its peak, took the tally of confirmed daily infections to 50,000 and overnight deaths to over 700.
The contagion has since subsided but according to Souri, over 20% of tests taken from potential Covid patients are returning positive in some areas, a “concerning matter”.
The Health Ministry on Saturday added six more cities to the list of areas color-coded as red or high-risk. Of the 22 cities currently on red alert, 13 were listed as red only in the past two weeks.
Iran registered 6,800 newly identified infections on Saturday, pushing the national tally of cases to 5.9 million. It also reported 128 fatalities which took the death toll to 126,126.
Souri pointed out that some 55-60% of Iranians have most likely developed immunity against the virus after vaccination and that vaccine rollout had to continue at a fast rate. 
More than 52 million people have received the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine and 33 million have been fully vaccinated. Some 84,000 of healthcare personnel have also received a booster shot.

Schools, Universities to Reopen

President Ebrahim Raeisi during Saturday’s NCH meeting said that ministries of health, science and education should collaborate to pave the way for the physical return of students to schools and universities by late November. 
“Considering the inoculation of teenagers over 12 years old as well as university students, educational institutes can resume operations by late November,” the top official said.
He nevertheless added that public gatherings and anything that could trigger another surge should be avoided.
Iran closed down schools and universities in February 2020 when the virus first emerged in the central city of Qom. It has since pursued online learning but as vaccine coverage rates increase, the government is pushing for a return to normalcy. 
Raeisi said, “With the preventive measures taken by authorities, especially the Health Ministry, we hope to prevent the next wave and preserve the health of the public.”
Worldwide Covid-19 cases rose to 246.9 million on Saturday as mortalities from the respiratory illness crossed the five million mark.