Iran official says fifth COVID-19 wave will be last
While Iranian officials are worried about the spread of COVID-19, they hope vaccination efforts can prevent a sixth wave.
The daily coronavirus death toll in Iran reached a new high on Aug. 9 at 588 deaths. The previous high was the day before, Aug. 8, with 542 deaths.
According to the latest numbers by Health Ministry officials, there have been over 94,000 COVID-19 deaths in the country, though the actual number could be twice as high. The spread of the coronavirus in Iran has alarmed officials, who appear to be out of options on how to stop the spread of the virus as the new administration takes office.
Deputy Health Ministry Ghasem Janbabaei said at an anti-coronavirus taskforce meeting in Bushehr the new coronavirus variant spreads faster than previous ones and warned no country is safe. He said hospitalizations for the new variant have been twice as high as the fourth wave.
Janbabaei said Iran has continued its vaccination efforts, which has lowered the death rate for the elderly. Unfortunately, this means the death rate for middle-aged people who have not been vaccinated yet has increased, he said.
