Coronavirus: Iran data wey leak reveal how di kontri cover-up Covid-19 deaths
Di number of deaths from coronavirus for Iran dey nearly triple wetin Iran goment claim, one BBC Persian service investigation don discover.
Iran has been the worst-affected country in the Middle East Di goment own records show say almost 42,000 pipo die with Covid-19 symptoms up to 20 July, versus 14,405 wey di health ministry bin report. Di number of pipo wey dey infected na also almost double official figures: 451,024 as against 278,827. Di official numbers still make Iran di worst-hit for di Middle East. In recent weeks, di kontri don suffer second sharp rise in di number of cases. Di first death for Iran from Covid-19 dey recorded on 22 January, according to lists and medical records wey BBC sight. Dis na almost one month before dem report di first official case of coronavirus dia. Since di outbreak of di virus for Iran, many observers bin dey doubt di official numbers. Wia di data come from? Na anonymous send di data give BBC. E include details of daily admissions to hospitals across Iran, including names, age, gender, symptoms, date and length of periods wey dem spend inside hospital, and underlying conditions di patients get. The details on di lists correspond to those of some living and dead patients wey BBC already know. The difference between di official figures and di number of deaths on di records also match di difference between di official figure and calculations of excess mortality until mid-June. Excess mortality na di number of deaths above and beyond wetin dey expected under "normal" conditions. Wetin di data reveal? Tehran, di capital, get di highest number of deaths with 8,120 pipo wey die with Covid-19 or symptoms wey dey similar to am. Di city of Qom, di initial epicentre of di virus for Iran, na di worst hit with 1,419 deaths - that na one death with Covid-19 for every 1,000 pipo. E dey notable say, across di kontri, 1,916 deaths na non-Iranian nationals. Dis wan show say di number of deaths amongst migrants and refugees, who dey mostly from neighbouring Afghanistan no dey balance. Di overall trend of cases and deaths for di leaked data dey similar to official reports, although e different in size. Iran has introduced measures to try to curb the spread of coronavirus Who be di first whistleblowers? Doctors with direct knowledge of di matter bin don tell BBC say di Iranian health ministry been dey under pressure from security and intelligence bodies inside Iran. Dr Pouladi ( no be dia real name) tell BBC say di ministry "dey in denial". Na di persistence of two brothers, both doctors from Qom, wey force di health ministry to acknowledge di first official case. Wen Dr Mohammad Molayi and Dr Ali Molayi lost dia brother, dem insist say make dem still test for Covid-19, e turn out to be positive. For Kamkar hospital, wia dia brother die, plenty patients wey dem admit with similar symptoms to Covid-19, no respond to di usual treatments. Dem no test any of dem for di disease. Iran cover-up afta dem shot down one Ukrainian airliner cause anti-goment protests Why the cover-up? Di start of di outbreak clash with di anniversary of di 1979 Islamic Revolution and with parliamentary elections. Dis na major opportunities for di Islamic Republic to demonstrate dia popular support and not to take risk to damage am sake of di virus. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, di Supreme Leader, accuse some say dem bin wan use di coronavirus to undermine di election. Di election get very low turnout. Iran bin dey go through tough times even before di military showdown with di US and coronavirus hit. Di sanctions wey follow Donald Trump withdrawal from di nuclear deal for May 2018 hit di economy hard.