Iran reports 217 more deaths from coronavirus

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN (AA) – Iran on Monday confirmed 217 additional fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide death toll to 14,405.

A further 2,414 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the overall count to 276,202, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.

She said more than 240,087 people have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals, adding that 3,583 patients remain in critical condition.

On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said an estimated 25 million people have contracted the coronavirus in Iran in the past five months.

Since originating in China last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 606,200 lives in 188 countries and regions.

Over 14.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, while over 8.13 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.