Iranian Parliament Report: Coronavirus Death Toll 80 Per Cent More, Infection Rate 8 To 10 Times Higher Than Official Numbers

According to a report from Iran's parliament released on Wednesday(Apr 15), the country’s death toll from novel coronavirus is likely 80 percent higher than previously acknowledged, and the country’s infection rate could be eight to ten times higher than official government figures.

AFP reported that a report authored by parliament’s research arm of the country estimated that coronavirus deaths in Iran could be as high as 8,500, compared to the 4,700 officially confirmed numbers as of Wednesday(Apr 15). The total number of infections could reach 760,000 in total, far higher than the 76,000 cases confirmed by Iran’s government.

If the numbers provided by the research division is right, it will catapult Iran as the country with the most coronavirus infections anywhere in the world,more than U.S. and European countries that have struggled to control the pandemic outbreak.

The parliamentary report released Wednesday also charged government officials of refusing to provide “detailed figures” to more clearly determine the extent of the outbreak.

Refuting the numbers, Deputy Health Minister Ali Reza Raisi was quoted as saying “The real figures are more than the official statistics but it is not correct to multiply official figures by two or three,”

Iran has been accused of under-reporting the extent of the outbreak in the country, with even Iranian lawmakers criticising the ruling dispensatios’s handling of the crisis.

According to many local reports, the country's mortuaries are overwhelmed.with many of the professional body washers have reportedly refused to cleanse Covid-19 victims over fears they could catch the virus from the corpses.