Iran's outbreak has caused growing alarm with concerns about the government's transparency in reporting the extent of the epidemic and its ability to contain it, Aljazeera reports.
Iran reports 113 new virus deaths as containment concerns mount
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: "If the trend continues, there will not be enough capacity," Ali Reza Zali, who is leading the campaign against the outbreak, was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency. Iran is believed to have about 110,000 hospital beds, including 30,000 in the capital, Tehran. Authorities have pledged to set up mobile clinics as needed. Zali also acknowledged "many" of those who have died from the COVID-19 illness caused by the virus were otherwise healthy, a rare admission by local authorities that the virus does not only prey on the sick and elderly. Health ministry figures show while 55 percent of fatalities were in their 60s, some 15 percent were younger than 40.
