Informed sources reported on Wednesday, March 17, that 21 inmates in Qarchak Prison are infected with the Covid-19 in Ward 6.
Earlier reports indicated infection of Hijab protestor Saba Kord Afshari. New reports added the name of Maryam Ebrahimvand, film director and writer, among the 21 inmates in Qarchak Prison infected with Covid-19.
The source said the sick prisoners are not receiving adequate medical care.
The oxygen level of Saba Kord Afshari is below 70% and she feels pain in the chest and her blood pressure has dropped significantly. She has received oxygen treatment several times. She has also received an injection to prevent her from going into coma.
Other sick inmates suffer from fever, pain in the chest and dry coughs, but they have not been tested for coronavirus infection, yet. They are not given adequate food and medical care.
New arrivals in Qarchak Prison are allowed directly into ward 6 without being screened and monitored in a quarantine for a certain period of time. Social distancing is not observed due to overcrowding.
Furthermore, prisoners are not provided with masks, gloves and disinfectants.
Qarchak Prison is a prison for about 2,000 women prisoners. There is no segregation of crime in this prison and political prisoners are kept among ordinary criminals and dangerous prisoners.
Lack of basic amenities, problems with the sewage system, salty water, constant water shortages in the summer, as well as lack of medical and health facilities and high density of prisoners and unsanitary use of card phones can be added to the reasons for the spread of virus in this prison. In-prison health care clinic has few facilities that have exacerbated the problems after the Covid-19 outbreak.
In Qarchak, some prisoners sleep on the floor of the prison, which is one of the reasons for the spread of the Coronavirus. The number of prisoners in the halls and cells is high, and this causes a dangerous situation in the prison if someone is infected. Even addicts who are more susceptible to infection are not separated from other prisoners.
