Number of virus cases in Iran tops 40,000; Tehran warns outbreak could last until summer

TEHRAN, Iran — The number of declared coronavirus infections in Iran tops 40,000, as the government warns the outbreak could run for several more months and cost over 10,000 lives.

With the tally climbing, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stands accused of failing to take prompt action by some of his political opponents.

The row comes as a report by Iran’s anti-coronavirus committee says the country may struggle with the outbreak until at least early summer.

Parviz Karami, who published the study on Instagram, says 11,000 people would die in the case of “medium government intervention,” including measures already taken by Iran.

Potential fatalities could drop to 7,700 with “maximum” intervention, such as banning movement inside cities and imposing quarantines, he says.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour says today that another 117 people died from the virus over the past 24 hours and 3,186 new cases have been confirmed, raising the total to more than 41,000.

The death toll reaches 2,757.

— AFP