Ten Thousand COVID-19 Deaths Worldwide in One Month

Tedros Adhanom, the Secretary-General of the World Health Organization, stated that nearly 10,000 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in December of last year, adding that hospital admissions and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions have increased due to gatherings and holiday travel. He mentioned in a press conference in Geneva, 'Although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, the virus continues to circulate, mutate, and take lives.' The World Health Organization reported a 42% increase in hospitalizations and a 62% increase in ICU admissions compared to November of last year, based on data from about 50 countries, mostly in Europe and the Americas. Mr. Adhanom emphasized that this is only a glimpse of reality, noting that several countries have stopped reporting COVID-19 statistics to the organization, which he deemed a major problem. Currently, the variant known as 'GN.1,' a sub-lineage of Omicron, is circulating. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that cases of the new variant will increase over the winter. This U.S. health agency states there is no evidence that the new variant causes more severe illness, but its rapid spread suggests it may be more transmissible or better at evading the immune system than other coronavirus variants. The 'GN.1' variant appeared in the U.S. in September of last year and is closely related to 'BA.2.86' (Pirola), which is considered a sub-lineage of Omicron. In Iran, new COVID-19 variants are typically identified with a delay of two to three months compared to other countries. This is concerning as the new variant is highly contagious, and experts believe that due to open borders and reduced adherence to health protocols, the likelihood of this variant entering Iran is high. However, a health ministry official stated last week that the new variant has not been identified. The technical deputy of the Ministry of Health's Center for Communicable Disease Management mentioned that about 30% of respiratory illness cases are related to influenza, 10% to COVID-19, and the rest to other respiratory viruses. Simultaneously, Bahram Einollahi, the Minister of Health, stated, 'Those who have cold symptoms either have COVID-19 or influenza.' Although numerous studies in various countries have shown that multi-valent mRNA vaccines are more effective in preventing severe illness than other types of vaccines and are less affected by waning immunity over time, the Islamic Republic has refrained from importing these types of vaccines. The increase in respiratory illnesses in China, Iran, and other countries; Dr. Attari: We are not facing a new virus. The scientific committee for combating COVID-19 in Iran has repeatedly called for the inclusion of Pfizer's pill in the country's medication list. A Voice of America investigative report; scientific assessment of the published research on the performance of the Barakat vaccine. Identification of a highly mutated coronavirus variant; Mahan Ghafari: We may enter a new wave. Research results on vaccination in Iran; tens of thousands could have survived.