Iran has suppressed the data of both the COVID-19 infections and casualties in the country, reported BBC. An investigation by the BBC Persian service has found that the novel coronavirus cases is almost double the government's official data, while deaths is thrice the reported figure.

The Iranian government reported 14,405 deaths and 2,78,827 cases on July 20, but the investigation has revealed that nearly 42,000 died of the virus that infected 4,51,024, according to the BBC. The BBC's investigation is based on the medical records that also show the country registered its first COVID-19 death on January 20, almost a month before Iran officially announced the first case. As many as 52 people had died by February 19, when the government officially acknowledged the outbreak of COVID-19.