This afternoon, Friday, March 27, 2020, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced that the Coronavirus death toll has surpassed 12,400 victims in 228 cities across the country. In Isfahan 1,400, in Khorasan Razavi 1,030, in Mazandaran 980, in Khuzestan 580, in Kermanshah 370, in Yazd 265, in Lorestan 250, in Sistan and Baluchestan 140, in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad 50, and Bushehr 25 have died respectively.
Medical sources in Gilan have reported the death of 40 patients, including two nurses in Astara. In many rural areas, they deliberately refuse to say, Coronavirus victims. What’s worse, they bury the dead as non-virus deaths.
The death toll of Talesh exceeds 100. According to the same sources, since late January, Coronavirus was present in Astara and Talesh. In early January, a significant number of Chinese tourists had gone to Astara and Bandar Anzali free zone from the Republic of Azerbaijan and from there to the city of Qom.
State-run ILNA news agency quoted a nurse from Qazin’s Velayat Hospital as saying, “The medical staff are exhausted… One of our colleagues tested positive for Coronavirus yesterday. We are getting ill one by one and collapsing… We may have a severe peak in the virus again. The situation is serious. All beds have been full since the day I got here. None was empty.” An employee of Baghiyyatollah Hospital in Tehran said 20 to 30 people die from Coronavirus here every day.
NCRI’s Committee on Security and Counterterrorism has obtained documents from the regime’s Emergency Organization, making it palpably clear that Rouhani’s claim about learning of the Coronavirus cases in Qom on February 19 and that he had immediately informed the public is utterly false. According to these documents, a significant number of infected patients had been hospitalized not only in Qom but also in Tehran in late January.
Infighting within the regime continues to intensify as the death toll is rising. In a message to Rouhani, former regime official Mostafa Mir-Salim wrote: ” Following the Chinese experience, and the severe warning of the Health Ministery, why didn’t you order restrictions to be imposed on Qom when you learned about the first two infected persons? When you heard the word ‘quarantine,’ suggested by some who cared, you panicked,’ and described it as contrary to the national interests and allowed five weeks to lapse, leaving our country in such a disaster. Why, despite recommendations by country’s health authorities, you allowed New Year’s Eve shoppers to go to shops and public places without any restrictions and subsequently took our country to the first peak in the early days of New Year started on March 20? So far, more than 2200 people have died according to official figures. Indeed, part of that is due to your government’s mismanagement. But, you should know you will be blamed for your irresoluteness when more people will die in the second wave because of the deteriorating situation .”
Reza Sheeran, a member of the regime’s parliament, also said, “The outbreak has become known as the “coronavirus” abroad, and inside the country, it is named as “acute respiratory disease.” Then they say, for example, in Khorasan, 400 people died of acute respiratory disease, and 50 died of coronavirus infection.” Warning of the second wave of Coronavirus, he said, “Statistics show that the number of those infected is high.”
Meanwhile, on March 26, drivers at Bojnourd Bus Terminal protested against the lack of hygienic facilities to tackle Coronavirus and the order to continue to work. Several drivers have already been infected with Coronavirus. On the same day, workers of the Soonegoon Copper (East Azerbaijan) protested that their work has not been stopped. Despite the outbreak and the death of one person, workers have to go to work against their will. On March 24 and 25, a group of nurses in Baneh and Mashhad protested against their dire work conditions and lack of facilities.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 27, 2020