Iran Records Highest Daily Covid Deaths Since October

The Health Ministry registered 191 mortalities from the Covid-19 outbreak on Saturday, the highest daily toll since late October, as officials extended restrictions for another week to curb transmissions. 
Overnight fatalities saw a 43% jump compared to last week, pushing the national toll to 134,798, IRNA reported. 
Weekly deaths in the province of Tehran bounced back to three-digit figures over the past week, with the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus sweeping the country. 
Head of Covid-19 operations in the province of Tehran, Alireza Zali, noted that the majority of deaths were occurring among the unvaccinated. 
He explained, “The severity of the disease for someone who’s gotten two shots can be five times higher than for an individual who’s received the booster dose.”
Health Minister Bahram Einollahi on Saturday pointed to the anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran and once again encouraged the public to complete their vaccination against the disease. 
“So far, 91% of Iranians have received the first dose, 81% the second dose and 32% have been administered the booster shot,” the official said. 
Iran is giving out a combination of homegrown and imported Covid-19 vaccines to everyone over the age of five.  Officials have refused to tighten restrictions in the face of the sixth wave of the pandemic, saying high vaccination coverage rates eliminate the need for quarantine measures.
The National Coronavirus Headquarters did extend certain measures to protect children against the virus as the variant seems to target kids the most.

Protecting Kids 

President Ebrahim Raisi during the NCH meeting on Saturday morning addressed high transmission rates among children and extended the closure of kindergartens for another week. 
“We must not let the lives of people, especially children, be placed in danger by neglecting health protocols,” the top official stated.
With kindergartens staying close, the president also extended the remote work permit for mothers with kids under the age of six for one week. 
Over the past seven days, the number of cities on red alert, considered to be very high-risk zones, jumped from 247 to 337. 
The Omicron variant was first found in Iran in late December in a middle-aged resident of Tehran with recent travel history to the United Arab Emirates. 
Authorities started giving out booster shots to anyone over 18 years old the next day, to prevent the start of a sixth wave. 
Less than one month into the arrival of Omicron, the Health Ministry officially announced that Iran had been hit by the sixth wave as infections and hospitalizations surged. 
According to Einollahi, each wave consists of three peaks, the first related to outpatient visits, the second to hospitalizations, and the third to deaths. 
He added, “With this new Omicron variant, outpatient visits have not peaked yet. But we will soon reach this peak.”
Iran is no longer imposing nationwide lockdown measures and it is letting local officials decide on closures based on infection rates in a given area. 
Worldwide Covid-19 cases climbed to 422.6 million on Saturday as fatalities caused by the respiratory illness rose to 5.8 million.