More than 600 Iranians have died from the consumption of high-concentrated alcohol believing it protects against the coronavirus. A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, Ghulam Hussein Ismaili said that the number of deaths due to drinking neat alcohol had reached a disturbing figure, adding that more than 3,000 people had been poisoned after drinking toxic beverages in an effort to treat the disease. He pointed out that many alcoholic drinks that were produced illegally in Iran lack the required standards, adding that a number of people have been arrested as a result of this. As of Tuesday afternoon, as many as 3,872 have died of the coronavirus in the Islamic Republic while the number of infections reached 63,589 Questions have been raised over Iran’s data after the country initially downplayed the severity of the outbreak. So far medics have identified no cure for coronavirus, and have identified only a limited number of drugs that may help to ease symptoms. Iran’s parliament convened Tuesday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak forced its doors to close, as the country reported a drop in new infections for the seventh straight day. More than two-thirds of the legislature’s 290 members gathered in the absence of speaker and veteran politician Ali Larijani, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Authorities are yet to define what low-risk businesses are and have been criticised for sending mixed signals by relaxing social distancing measures.