COVID-2019 is still rapidly spreading in Iran; isn’t it the time to call for international action?

摘要

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the first 43 cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with eight deaths were reported from February 19 to 23, 2020. By the time of writing this paper, 1501 cases with 66 deaths are reported. Day-by-day, the virus is getting spread throughout the country and the world, and we are all witnessing an escalating trend of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in the world and Iran, in particular. One may compare the trends between affected countries and Iran and find no difference in the trends between the countries. But, with a more focus on the situation of Iran several issues may be identified, which may not be seen in many other countries. First of all, a number of exported cases originated from Iran is being reported, which suggests “an underlying burden of disease in the country than is indicated by reported cases” . Second, estimating the mortality rates for affected countries, Iran’s mortality rate for the disease seems to be higher than those in other countries. Third, the detection rate in Iran seems to be low, and fourth, access to disinfectants, masks, and sanitizers as well as antiviral drugs with indications to be used against COVID-19 seems to be limited in the country. Well, what do all these public health issues in Iran mean? What may be the reasons for such problems?