TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As Iran faces what looks like its worst wave of the coronavirus pandemic yet, Tehran commuters still pour into its subway system and buses each working day, even as images of the gasping ill are repeatedly shown on state television every night. That has public health officials worried the worst of the pandemic still may be yet to come. During the peak of Iran’s last surge, around 20,000 coronavirus patients were hospitalized across the country. All of its wards on five floors of the hospital are reserved for coronavirus patients. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has banned US and British-made coronavirus vaccines, saying their import is “forbidden” because he does not trust those nations.

Source: Egypt Independent April 22, 2021 13:30 UTC