Iran goes through another COVID-19 flux, said Iranian news agencies today.
The patience of the population is growing thin, as the vaccinations process remains slow. They keep seeing people around the world walk without a mask. And they are unable to take vaccines.
Like many world countries, Iran is still far behind top countries when it comes to vaccinations. Only 3 million out of 80 million people got two doses, which is 3.75%.
However, Iran itself refused to get vaccinations from other countries, unlike developing countries.
The country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the help of Western countries for unclear reasons. The Islamic Republic, in turn, resorted to domestic shots, which remains far behind other countries.
The supply of non-Western shots remains low, creating a black market offering Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots for as much as $1,350 in a country where the Iranian rial’s currency is on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran mean the cash-strapped government has limited funds to purchase vaccines abroad.
The domestic shots are low, which spurs creating a black market. It offers shots of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech worth $1,350. This amount of money is relatively large compared to the Iranian currency.
‘Disgraces are like cherries, one draws another’
Low vaccination rates and rejecting donations from others are not the only problems. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran, limiting funds to secure vaccination backups from abroad.
Not only that, the deadly new-appearing COVID-19 variant is going viral in the country. Delta variant is causing havoc and hospitalizing a significant number of people. That filled the already-deteriorated hospitals.
Amid this serious flare-up, Iranians stopped wearing masks. Although making a living shouldn’t contradict COVID-19 precautions, Iranians see it as a reason to leave social distancing behind.
“What is next? A sixth wave? A seventh wave? When is it going to end?” wondered Reza Ghasemi, a delivery man who is wearing a face mask and holding a cigarette.
He added, “It is not clear when this situation will change to a better one.”
COVID-19 states
Since the dawn of the COVID-19 crisis, the world has witnessed the death of millions of people. Iran alone reported 4 million COVID-19 cases and around 91 thousand deaths.
Iran recorded the highest number in the MEAN region.
Ayatollah Khamenei warned the country officials against the tragic death toll. It is “very painful,” expressed Iran’s supreme leader.
He stressed the importance of establishing free testing and adopt new COVID-19 restrictive measures.
The problem is that numbers are not accurate, announced Iran’s parliament. The numbers are “eight to 10 times” higher than the stated numbers. Likewise, the tragic death toll is three times higher than reality, as officials count only those who die in hospitals.
