Eleven die from coronavirus in Iran in 24 hours: health ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eleven people have died from coronavirus in Iran in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll to 54, a health ministry official announced on Sunday, as the country struggles to contain the outbreak. 

The total number of confirmed cases in Iran has risen to 978, Ministry of Health spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour announced at a daily press conference providing updates on the outbreak, with 385 new cases of the virus confirmed since yesterday.

At a televised news conference on Sunday, an unnamed Guards commander announced that the state’s elite Revolutionary Guards have reportedly designated facilities across the country to help counter the novel coronavirus.

“We have set up centers across the country to help people tackle the virus ... we need national cooperation to tackle this crisis. People should follow our health officials’ advice,” the commander said on Iran’s Press TV.

The virus has rapidly spread across the country since the government announced the first two cases in Qom on February 19. Out of 31 provinces in Iran, 27 have reported cases of Covid-19.

Iran has quickly become one of the world’s coronavirus epicentres, with cases in Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, Georgia, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates tracing back to the country. Iran’s mortality rate based off the health ministry’s official numbers has been the highest globally.

US Senator and candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination Elizabeth Warren has asked the Trump administration if humanitarian aid to Iran is being hindered by US sanctions amid the global spread of the coronavirus.

“I understand that humanitarian items are exempt from United States sanctions, that the Iranian government has the primary responsibility for the health of its citizens, and that a deficient response to the coronavirus outbreak by the Iranian government should not be blamed on the United States or any other foreign power,” Warren wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

With the United States, Australia, and Thailand all announcing their first coronavirus related fatalities on Sunday morning, Warren expressed fear that Iran's struggle to contain the virus could have global repercussions.

“At the same time, I am concerned about the vulnerability of the Iranian people to the coronavirus and the potential for Iran's coronavirus cases to worsen the spread of the disease to neighboring countries, including regional allies, and to the rest of the world,” Warren added.

Contested data

Both the Ministry of Iran’s official death rate and confirmed number of cases have been heavily disputed by news agencies and some lawmakers.

Academic researchers have voiced suspicion over the officially recognized coronavirus numbers coming out of Iran. A study out of the University of Toronto on Monday, based on cross-referencing the death rates of infected areas, estimates that the size of the outbreak in Iran could be as high as 18,300 people.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders alleged that journalists are being detained for their coverage of the crisis. 

“Freelance journalist Mohammad Mosaed was summoned and interrogated by Revolutionary Guard intelligence officials on 23 February in connection with the messages he had posted on social media about the epidemic. He was released after questioning but his phone and computer were seized and his Twitter and Telegram accounts have been closed,” read the statement.