Iranian women wearing masks at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, February 20, 2020 (Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA)

UPDATE, FEB 3:

The Health Ministry has raised the number of Iranian cities on the “red” list from 15 to 42.

Hospitalizations in the capital Tehran have risen 61% in the past week.

Tehran Province’s schools are closed, with students receiving virtual instruction. The Iranian Parliament has suspended sessions after almost 1/3 of MPs tested positive.

The Ministry reported 38,160 new cases on Tuesday, the highest one-day total since August 25. The 7-day average is 23,856, the highest level since September 11.

There were 59 deaths, the largest daily toll since December 16.

Iran’s official toll for the pandemic is more than 133,000 deaths and more than 6.45 million cases.

UPDATE, FEB 2:

Iran’s Health Ministry has confirmed the reopening of the “red” list of Coronavirus-affected cities, with 15 — including the capital Tehran — put on the highest-alert status.

The announcement came as the Ministry announced 35,070 new cases, the highest daily total since August 26. The seven-day average of 20,098 is the highest level since September 15.

Deaths are also rising, albeit more slowly than the surge in infections. There were 50 fatalities reported on Tuesday, the highest one-day toll since December 29.

UPDATE, JAN 31:

Iran has reopened the “red” list of cities affected by Coronavirus, putting 15 on the highest-alert status.

With the spread of Omicron, the country recorded 21,996 cases on Sunday, compared to 701 on January 8. The seven-day average is 13,384, compared to 1,360 on January 8 and the highest level since September 29.

As in other countries, the death rate has remained relatively low compared to the fatalities with the Alpha and Delta variants. The seven-day average is 28, although 44 deaths were reported on Sunday.

A Parliamentary spokesman said 90 of the 290 members of the Majlis have tested positive.

UPDATE, JAN 24:

More than a month after the first reported Omicron case in Iran, the Coronavirus variant is spreading across the country.

Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said on Friday that more than 2,000 Omicron infections have been detected. He expressed concern that the variant is highly transmissible, and said the actual figure is likely to be far higher than the official number.

Iran had record deaths and infections this summer before a sharp decline as mass vaccination was finally implemented. Average daily cases fell from almost 40,000 in late August to 1,360 on January 8, while daily deaths have fallen from 650 to 22.

The 7-day daily average of cases is 4,208, more than triple the figure 16 days ago.

Almost 64% of Iran’s 85 million people are fully vaccinated.

ORIGINAL ENTRY, DEC 20: Iran’s authorities have reported the first case of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, with two others suspected.

Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, the head of the Health Ministry’s Center for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, said on Sunday that an Iranian air passenger “returning to the country from a regional state” tested positive on Saturday night.

Deputy Health Minister Kamal Heidari confirmed the news, saying the patient is a Tehran resident who recently travelled from the UAE.

Iran set records of cases and deaths this summer, with daily averages of 650 victims on August 28 and 39,795 infections on August 17.

The surge was compounded by the Supreme Leader’s long-standing ban on vaccines made in the US, UK, and France, and by conspiracy theories fed by the Revolutionary Guards’ claims that the doses had been designed to kill off 20% of the population.

See also Coronavirus — Iran’s Record Death Toll; Revolutionary Guards Say Foreign Vaccines Are “Biological Warfare”

However, Ayatollah Khamenei sanctioned a belated mass vaccination campaign, using primarily Chinese and Russian vaccines, after the managed election of President Ebrahim Raisi and the installation of his Government in August. Almost 70% of the population has had one dose and 58.5% have had two, compared to figures of 5.2% and 2.5% on July 13.

As a result, Iran’s toll has declined to a daily average of 52 deaths and 2,309 cases. No city is in a red (very high) or orange (high) risk category.

Sunday night’s meeting of the National Task Force Against Coronavirus, chaired by Raisi, called on all Iranian adults to receive their second doses and, if sufficient time has elapsed, third doses. It “stressed the need to intensify social care and adhere to health protocols, especially wearing masks at family parties and in public places”.

Health authorities have stepped up inspections of night markets ahead of the Yalda winter solstice celebrations on Tuesday.

Iran has reported 131,053 deaths and 6,170,979 cases.