According to Iranian media, nearly 300 people have died and more than 1,000 have fallen sick after ingesting methanol and mistakenly believing it would protect against the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported. Drinking alcohol is banned in the country.
An Iranian doctor helping Iran’s health ministry told the news wire that the problem was greater than what had been reportedly locally; the doctor said around 480 people died and 2,850 people have fallen sick from alcohol poisoning. Fake remedies spread across social media in the country as people remain suspicious of the government’s handling of the epidemic, the news wire added.
Iran has more than 32,300 reported cases and over 2,300 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. To be clear, there are no known cures yet for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.