Coronavirus death toll in Iran nearing 4,000, government officials say

Iran’s health ministry said Tuesday the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country has spiked to more than 62,000, while the death toll nears 4,000 — but one health official has suggested that the true number of coronavirus infections is much higher than the government’s count.

A member of Iran’s National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce told state news agency IRNA Monday that the total number of cases in the country is closer to 500,000.

“Many people with milder symptoms have not been detected,” he told IRNA.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, Iran has reported 62,589 coronavirus cases, 3,872 deaths and 27,039 recoveries among its 83 million people.

But exile groups critical of the regime claim the government has not been honest about the death toll, which could be more than 18,000 to date.

About 70 million Iranians have reportedly been tested for the virus, the country’s health minister, Saeed Namaki, told state television Tuesday. He called on people to “stay home and follow the guidelines.”