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Doctors and Nurses Died as Iran Ignored Virus Concerns

(AP-ABC News) Maggie Michael - Interviews with more than 30 medical professionals and a review of communications by doctors on messaging apps paint a fuller picture of the extent of the disjointed Iranian response as the coronavirus spread through Iran's population. Medical workers say they were defenseless to handle the contagion. During the first 90 days of the outbreak, about one medical staffer died each day and dozens became infected. According to official figures, around 6,500 Iranians have died. But a report by the research arm of Iran's parliament said 11,700 may have died. In Tehran, the municipal council said it had to add 10,000 new graves to its largest cemetery, Behesht e-Zahra. Several medical professionals said Iran's leaders delayed telling the public about the virus for weeks, even as hospitals filled with people. One doctor said he and his colleagues were even discouraged from using protective equipment. He said government officials claimed wearing masks would cause panic. Government officials called physicians' pleas for a quarantine "medieval" and floated theories that the U.S. created the coronavirus to spread fear. The Revolutionary Guard kept health facilities under tight control and medical statistics were treated as top secret.
2020-05-13 00:00:00
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