Iran’s Experience with the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on Vulnerable Populations

Abstract

Iran was one of the first countries to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The onset of the pandemic coincided with the serious ongoing economic problems that Iran was facing and which have seriously impacted the lives of Iranians. According to official statistics, there were about six million infections and 130,000 deaths due to COVID-19 by December 2021. Quarantine, social distancing, and other health protocols had an adverse impact on mental and social health. Vulner-able groups, including children, women heads of households, the homeless, drug addicts, and the disabled were at higher risk. Although initially governmental and non-governmental organizations were not prepared to manage the pandemic, over-time serious efforts were made to implement innovative measures in the areas of education and mental health service provision. Economic conditions in Iran have adversely impacted all these measures. The authors discuss Iran’s experience with COVID-19 focusing on the health, social, psychological, and economic factors and draw lessons from these experiences.