More people have now died in Iran’s Fars province from alcohol poisoning while trying to protect themselves from the coronavirus than from the disease itself, Iranian media report.
Mohammad Javad Moradian, the director of the province’s emergency services centre, told Isna news agency that Covid-19 had killed 13 people in Fars, while 66 have died after drinking industrial-strength alcohol.
A persistent rumour in Iran claims that drinking alcohol helps protect individuals from contracting the virus.
Iran has now confirmed 20,610 cases and 1,556 deaths from the disease. (Text courtesy BBC)