Hoping To Fend Off Coronavirus, At Least 27 Iranians Die Drinking Industrial Alcohol
https://saraacarter.com/hoping-to-fend-off-coronavirus-at-least-27-iranians-die-drinking-industrial-alcohol/
At least 27 people have died from alcohol poisoning in Iran in an effort to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Iranian news agencies reported Monday, according to ABC News.
The fatalities occurred in Iranโs Khuzestan and Alborz provinces. Some rumors have been circulating on Iranian social media that drinking alcohol is a way to fend off COVID-19. However, since drinking alcohol like wine, beer and liquor, are prohibited in Iran, people have turned to industrial alcohol that is used for cleaning purposes.
โSome of the citizens of Ahwaz had heard that drinking alcohol could help them fight the coronavirus, so they used it as a preventive measure,โ said Ali Ehsanpour, who serves as spokesman of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences in Khuzestan, according to the Mehr News Agency.
According to Iranian news agencies, the official number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the province of Khuzestan was 73. Moreover, at least 218 Iranians were hospitalized from alcohol poisoning in the medical centers affiliated with Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences.
โOne of the victims got blind and some others are in critical condition,โ Ehsanpour said.
Iran has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Middle East. More than 7,161 have been infected, with at least 2,394 recoveries and 237 deaths, a health ministry spokesman told the Fars News Agency.