Iran Coronavirus Infections Surpass 53,000, Progress Reported

Iranian Health Ministry announced on Friday that total number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached 53,183 with some 2,715 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded.

In a press briefing, Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said that 17,935 cases have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals.

He put the number of those who lost their lives due to the virus in the past 24 hours at 134, taking the total death toll nationwide to 3,294, Mehr news agency reported.

The Iranian official, meanwhile, said that more than 69 million Iranians have been screened for COVID-19.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki said that great advances had been made in the diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus which can largely change the country’s virus situation in the near future, according to Tasnim news agency.

“We have made great advances in the diagnosis of the novel coronavirus. This has helped us identify more COVID-19 cases across the country. More people will recover in the coming days. This will greatly elevate Iran’s international standing regarding stemming the coronavirus outbreak,” Namaki said on the sidelines of a video conference with officials of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.

Iran, which is grappling with widespread US sanctions banning medical aid from reaching the country, has been among the worst affected by the disease. However, it has dropped from second place in the number of confirmed cases to the sixth over the past month despite US sanctions.