Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, who became a well-known face in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran for a press conference in which he was suffering from visible symptoms, said that the country’s official death and infection numbers could be much higher.

According to Harirchi, many patients are treated for coronavirus symptoms in hospitals, but since their test results are negative they are not counted as part of the official figures. The negative test results could be a result of false negatives. He said that according to World Health Organization protocol, the only way to count someone as part of the official statistics is if their test is positive.

Harirchi believes the actual number of coronavirus cases and deaths could be 1.5 to 2.2 times higher than the reported official numbers. Iran’s total coronavirus cases are over 500,000, and total deaths are nearly 30,000. If Harirchi is correct, the total number of Iranians infected with the coronavirus since the outbreak began in February could likely range from 750,000 to over 1 million. Also, likely deaths could range from 45,000 to over 60,000.

In the last 24 hours, 256 Iranians have died due to the coronavirus. Iran shattered its highest death totals this week on three different occasions, with a peak of 279. During the nationwide lockdown phase in April, Iran was able to bring its daily death totals to below triple figures. But since phased reopenings began, the number of deaths has increased and the country is experiencing a third wave.