Iran Identifies 2,368 New Coronavirus Cases, Hospitalizes Over 1,000 Patients

“2,368 more patients infected with COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country in the past 24 hours based on confirmed diagnosis tests and 1,114 patients have been hospitalized,” Iranian Health Ministry Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday.

She noted that the total number of coronavirus patients in the country has increased to 204,952 people.

Sadat Lari expressed pleasure that 163,591 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

She said that 9,623 people have lost their lives due to infection to the virus, including 116 in the past 24 hours.

Sadat Lari said that 2,887 coronavirus patients are unfortunately in critical conditions.

The ministry’s spokeswoman, meantime, expressed concern over the situation of the 4 Iranian provinces of Khuzestan, Kermanshah, East Azarbaijan and Hormuzgan, considering their increasing number of coronavirus patients.

She added that 1,422,407 tests have been conducted in the country to diagnose patients suspected of infection to the COVID-19 virus.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said earlier this month that over 1,000 medical centers in the country have received necessary equipment to conduct tests on people suspected of infection to coronavirus, and added that Iran ranks first in the Muslim world in scientific achievements.

“Based on a report [by the health ministry], 1,200 centers across the country are ready to take samples and tests from people and 17,500 nursing and health homes are also prepared to provide hygiene and treatment services to people,” Rouhani said, addressing a meeting of the national coronavirus campaign headquarters in Tehran.

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting approximately all countries and territories around the world. The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has so far killed more than 467,100 people and infected over 8.9 million others globally.

The Iranian foreign ministry declared that despite Washington’s claims of cooperation to transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Although US claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have practically blocked the transfer of Iran’s financial resources in other countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.

As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and most universities have been extended until further notice.