‘Red’ spots back on Iran’s color-coded Covid map as infections rise

According to the latest updates to the map, released by the Health Ministry on Friday, 14 cities were also classified as “orange,” where there is a “moderately elevated” risk of infection with the respiratory disease.

The number of “yellow” or “low risk” cities also increased from 105 to 142, while the number of “blue” cities, where the situation is normal, decreased from 343 to 288.

The country has been witnessing a gradual rise in infections with Covid-19, with an increasing number of patients seeking medical assistance or hospitalized.

On Friday, the Health Ministry reported 2,013 new cases of infection in 24 hours, up from 1,775 and 1,271 registered in the previous two days.

Dr. Mohammad Alavi, Vice President of Jundi Shapour University of Medical Sciences in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, told ISNA that cases of infection with the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron have “not yet been reported in Iran on a large scale,” unlike in the rest of the world.

“If a new wave occurs, it will probably be with these sub-variants,” he said, urging people to stick with health protocols, as scientists are still studying the behavior of the new Omicron sub-variants.