TEHERAN (IRAN) – As Iran fights a second wave of coronavirus outbreak, hospitals across the country are reeling from acute shortage of medical staff and beds, said a senior official of Tehran’s anti-coronavirus task force on Thursday.
Iran, which is the hardest hit Middle East country, began easing lockdown curbs in mid-April.
The second wave which reared its head in early June, has proven to be much more serious, said the official Reza Jalili-Khoshnood, who has also tested positive for the virus.
As of Thursday, the coronavirus-related death toll in the country stood at 13,608, including 198 in the last 24 hours, said Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari on state television.
Jalili-Khoshnood said at Tehran’s Shohada hospital, where he is admitted, as many as 172 medical staff have either tested positive or are taking care of family members who have been infected. He also said there was shortage of beds, including the intensive care unit.
This sharply contrasts with President Hassan Rouhani’s statement that the country has sufficient numbers of medical staff and amenities.
Lari said the total number of diagnosed cases had reached 267,061, up by 2,500 in the last 24 hours.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field