Iran – The number of deaths from coronavirus in Iran is nearly triple what Iran’s government claim, found an investigation by BBC Persian service investigation.
The government’s own records appear to show that almost 42, 000 people died with Covid-19 symptoms up to 20 July, versus 14,405 reported by its health ministry.
The number of people infected is also almost double official figures: 451,024 instead of 278, 827.
The official numbers still make Iran the worst-hit in the Middle East.
In recent weeks, it has suffered a second steep rise in the number of cases.
The first death due to Covid-19 in Iran was recorded in January, according to lists and medical records that have been passed to investigators, almost a month before the first official case of coronavirus was reported there.
The investigators received the data through an anonymous source.
It includes details of daily admissions to hospitals across Iran, including names, age, gender, symptoms, date and length of period spent in hospital, and underlying conditions patients might have.
The details on the list correspond to those of some living and deceased patients already known to the investigators.
The source says they have shared the data with the investigators to “shed light on truth” and to end “political games” over the epidemic.
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