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Experts fear coronavirus cover up in Iran
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, there is growing evidence of an extremely serious and growing impact in Iran. It is feared that sanctions imposed by the US may have weakened the capacity of the country’s medical sector to cope. JANE GREEN reports
A pharmacist wears a face mask in Tehran

SINCE first announcing the presence of coronavirus recently, Iran has reported a total of 388 cases and 34 deaths — a far higher fatality rate than seen elsewhere.

It is widely suspected that the official tally vastly underestimates the true number of cases. Iran has the highest number of coronavirus cases outside of China and South Korea.

A senior medical doctor at the Masih Daneshvari hospital in Tehran, the country’s top pulmonary public hospital and the main facility overseeing coronavirus patients, was keen to retain his anonymity but stated: “We think that this virus has been in Iran for the past three to four weeks and has circulated throughout the country. Right now in Iran we are facing a coronavirus epidemic.”

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