Western Iranian Region Suffers Devastating Spike In COVID Cases

Hospitals in Ilam Province in western Iran are said to be at full capacity amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections. Some residents link the rising numbers to a religious pilgrimage in August, when tens of thousands of Iranians traveled through the province to reach Karbala, Iraq, for the holiday of Arbaeen. Critics of Iran's government say the authorities have been slow to provide effective vaccines and too lax in limiting religious gatherings. Iran's government systematically cracks down on the free flow of information and those who speak to foreign media may be subject to persecution. For that reason, the identities of the interviewees are not disclosed and their faces are blurred.