Key Indicators Point to Let-Up in Pandemic

The daily tally of coronavirus infections and mortalities on Saturday fell to figures as low as the early days of the pandemic as Iran reported that none of its cities were categorized as very high-risk or high-risk zones anymore.
The Health Ministry logged 1,360 cases on Saturday, the lowest number of daily infections since May 2020, bringing the total count to 6.16 million, ISNA reported.
The ministry on the same day registered only 41 deaths, a record-low since late May 2020, taking the national toll to 131,033.
None of the cities throughout the country are currently color-coded as red (very high-risk) or orange (high-risk), with a majority of 395 coded as blue (low-risk).
Over the past 24 hours, 27 provinces reported less than five fatalities and 17 provinces said no one had died from the coronavirus. 
The province of Tehran reported the highest number of deaths (6), followed by West Azerbaijan (5), Fars (5) and North Khorasan (5).

The decline in the epidemic has been linked to vaccination rates around the country as the majority of the population have been immunized against the disease and those most at risk have received a booster shot. 
So far, more than 59 million people have received a first dose, 50.1 million have been fully vaccinated and 3.5 million have been given a third dose. 
Overall, the Health Ministry has given out some 112.8 million shots, mostly the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine imported by the Iranian Red Crescent Society. 
Authorities have repeatedly urged the public to continue to wear facemasks and follow health protocols despite inoculation. 

Border Control

President Ebrahim Raisi during Saturday’s National Coronavirus Headquarters meeting said that border control was essential to the preservation of human lives against the coronavirus. 
“The movement of people through borders, especially from countries with the highest risks of transmission, should be carefully monitored,” the president noted.
He nevertheless added that the restrictions imposed in border checkpoints should not hinder necessary movement. 
The president was referring to the emergence of a highly-mutated strain of the coronavirus, dubbed Omicron, which has sparked global fear as the mutation can be easily transmitted from one person to another. 
No cases of Omicron has been reported in Iran but experts suggest its arrival is only a matter of time. 
Raisi also lauded a new plan launched throughout the country that only restricts the movement of unvaccinated individuals. 
“Smart reopening brought back happiness and vitality to the society,” he said. 
As per the initiative, non-vaccinated people cannot purchase tickets for airplanes, buses or trains. During the second phase, they will be banned from entering government offices, gyms, swimming pools and chain stores.
The measures serve an incentive to encourage people to get vaccinated against the respiratory illness.
The top official concluded by thanking Iranians for observing safety measures and said his administration will continue to make all efforts to protect the lives of the people.
Worldwide Covid-19 cases increased to over 274 million on Saturday as fatalities caused by the contagion reached 5.36 million.