Multiple dead in Iran after drinking methanol to cure Coronavirus

Hundreds of people have been killed in Iran and over a thousand more have fallen ill after they consumed methanol due to rumours that it cures Coronavirus.

Iranian citizens, who are highly suspicious about the government curbing the spread fell prey to a false message which circulated on Whatsapp and other social media platforms. The fake message stated that a British school teacher and others who had contracted the virus cured themselves by drinking whiskey and honey.  According to reports, after receiving the message, multiple people drank bootleg alcohol containing methanol in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province and its southern city of Shiraz.  

Meanwhile, the deadly Coronavirus has infected 32,332 and killed 2,378 across Iran.

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Military sets up hospital

The Iranian military has set up a 2,000-bed hospital in an exhibition centre in the country's capital to shore up the local health care system as it battles the worst Coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, Iranian state TV reported. It said the new facility, which includes three units and several isolation wards, was set up in just 48 hours. It will be used for patients who are recovering from COVID-19.

State TV on Thursday quoted Gen. Ali Jahanshahi, the army’s deputy coordinator, as saying the hospital has been handed over to medical staff and will begin receiving patients next week. Most people infected by the Coronavirus only experience mild symptoms, such as fever and cough, and recover within a few weeks. But the virus can cause severe illness and be fatal for many, particularly in older patients or those with underlying health problems. It is highly contagious and can be spread by otherwise healthy people showing no visible symptoms.

Meanwhile, the country has imposed strict new containment measures, after weeks of public appeals largely failed to deter hundreds of thousands taking to the roads to visit family for the Persian New Year holidays. State television on Friday showed police checkpoints at Tehran's entrances and exits preventing residents leaving and non-residents entering.

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Image: AP