Death Toll From Covid-19 Surpasses 45,000 In Iran; Tehran Urges US To Lift Medical Sanctions

The total death toll due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has surpassed 45,000 in Iran since the outbreak of the global pandemic.

“Some 453 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 45,255 in the country,” spokesperson to Iran's Health Ministry, Sima Sadat Lari said on November 23, adding that 27 of 31 provinces are still in the red zone with a high risk of coronavirus infection.

She said that 12,460 new cases of infection with the COVID-19 were registered over the past 24 hours, some 2,744 of whom have been hospitalized, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

Sadat Lari noted that 610,406 patients out of a total of 866,821 infected people have recovered or been discharged from the hospitals. Some 5,812 other COVID-19 patients are in critical condition and being treated in intensive care units, the spokeswoman said.

Over 59,253,000 people have so far been infected with the novel coronavirus globally, with the deaths having reached 1,398,118 and recoveries amounting to 40,990,890, according to the latest figures on November 23.

Meanwhile, the director of the Virology Department of Iran`s Pasteur Institute, Keyhan Azadmanesh, announced that the domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine will probably be injected into the whole population in the Iranian month of Mehr, which will start on September 23, 2021.

“The knowledge of vaccine manufacturing in Iran is old and our country has a lot of experience in this field, but in the current situation and according to the production process of COVID-19 vaccine, the mass production phase will probably last until the next summer,” Azadmanesh said.

A senior official at Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Taher Mouhebati, told IRNA that Iran will lodge a complaint against the US with the International Court of Justice over medical sanctions, as the sanctions have caused losses to people's health.

“Documents have been given to vice-president for legal affairs, and the government will lodge the complaint with international justice against the US over blocking Iran from access to life support system and medical supplies amid corona pandemic," Mouhebati said.

Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani termed the US move to block Iran's access to emergency and medical supplies as "medical terrorism." Other Iranian officials say the US deprived Iran of the possibility of obtaining life support systems and medical supplies whereas it claims advocacy of human rights.

On November 21, Iran’s Vice President for Economic Affairs, Mohammad Nahavandian said that the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control has come up with 14 financial plans to support households and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

He said that the support packages for households will be provided for those without fixed-income who live in red-zones, and added that nearly 30 million people are expected to benefit from the mentioned support plan.