Thread by @aliostad

🚨🚨🚨#LongishThread 🚨🚨🚨
I know I am sounding like a broken record now, but Iran's health system is experiencing a crisis not seen before, due to COVID's 5th wave.

Universal shortage of beds, ventilator, ICU and even saline drips across the country. Casualties mounting.

This is a hospital in the southern province of Bushehr. Patients on the floor receiving oxygen.

If the 3rd wave were a 7 Richter earthquake, this is surely above than 8.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1422210741717852164?s=20

The same seen here in northwestern city of Tabriz, Iran's 4th largest city.

Health minister has asked for permission to SHUT DOWN THE COUNTRY for 2 weeks.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1422130834245627906?s=20

Tehran's COVID Taskforce states that unprecedented number of COVID patients (>10K) and there are zero beds available in Tehran and makeshift hospitals need to be set up.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1422068058617630721?s=20

This is a hospital in Kerman, with patients in the corridors.

https://twitter.com/manototv/status/1421874828206690306?s=20

This is a makeshift hospital in the courtyard of Milad hospital in Tehran

https://twitter.com/manototv/status/1421878862871367683?s=20

Health Minister's deputy admits the country has entered a crisis with many provinces in an unstable status.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1421853980896923652?s=20

Gilan province in the north where we experienced a terrible 1st wave which seemed to have protected it from further waves, hospitals are now full of COVID patients.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1420616316554186759?s=20

This one is a hospital in Golestan province in the north too, with COVID patients flooding the capacity.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1420349445078663170?s=20

Tweets by the healthcare professionals each provide a narrative on what it is like in the hospitals. One nurse from the Golestan province describes it as a horror movie with no end.

Map of the country is just all around red.

https://twitter.com/DanielShaltouki/status/1421419491251064835?s=20

A tweep reports his visit to a hospital where patients were lying even in the hospital mosque and equally calls it a horror movie.

This is a makeshift hospital in Tehran.

https://twitter.com/RezaVahidzade/status/1421724186138001423?s=20

Doctors and nurses are exhausted and have singlehandedly been managing the situation.

This is a protest by young doctors. They are paid - wait for it - whopping massive 1.5$ an hour, sometimes less.

https://twitter.com/IranIntl/status/1421764404094414848?s=20

IV fluid bags have been rationed in the pharmacies. Not clear why such a basic item is in shortage but officials confirmed and attributed to a change in the production line.

It coincides with Barakat vaccine production issues, are they connected?

https://twitter.com/somayeh_sayesh/status/1421928620742914052?s=20

You might be asking WHY Iran is still experiencing this massive wave?

Well, percentage of vaccinated public is still under 10%. Most of the public have been vaccinated using Sinopharm vaccine, including my parents.

Experiences from Chile and other countries on Sinopharm show a poor protection.

Iran decided to make its own vaccine rather than buying and started to import the technology and build several COVID vaccine pipelines. The reason is a mixture of corruption and mismanagement.

Many pharma companies received big grants from the government while so far less than 500K doses have been handed over to he Health Ministry.

It is clear that the shortage of some key chemical gels mean these pipelines are most likely defunct now.

Everyday feels more like the Iranian nation has been taken hostage by a brutal and corrupted gang which cares nothing for the suffering of the people. And there is no end to this nightmare...

If you have access to the vaccine, please receive it. Many are dying in Iran for lack of access. And see and example of what happens when there is no intervention.

Thanks for reading. And be the voice of the voiceless.
🌹🌹🌹

PS: I forgot to put this one - firsthand from a physician:

- Shortage of IV fluids
- A single oxygen capsule is being used by 3 patients
- Shortage (or very expensive) antiviral treatment

https://twitter.com/SarkaratDr/status/1422159515370262531?s=20