Iran Reports Lowest Daily COVID-19 Deaths in More Than 3 Months

Iran

December 27th, 11:25am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Vehicles drive in an empty street by Iran's main business and trade hub, in Tehran, Satuday, Nov. 21, 2020. Iran shuttered businesses and curtailed travel between its major cities, including the capital of Tehran, as it grapples with the worst outbreak of the coronavirus in the Mideast region. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran reported 119 deaths from the new coronavirus on Sunday, the lowest daily fatalities in more than three months, the health ministry said. Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 5,502 people had been infected in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Middle East's worst-affected country to 1,200,465. Sunday's death toll was the lowest since Sept. 12 when it registered 116 deaths, Reuters reported. Iran extended a night-time traffic curfew to 330 lower-risk cities and towns on Sunday in an effort to sustain the recent decline in the number of infections and deaths. The curfew running from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. -- already in place in 108 "orange" medium-risk, cities -- is extended to lower-risk "yellow" areas. The curfew, under which the use of private cars is banned, resulted in nearly 100,000 fines being issued in one night in the past week. Iran said on Thursday it had received approval from US authorities to buy coronavirus vaccines from the World Health Organization-led COVAX alliance. It did not say which vaccines it was buying.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2706421/iran-reports-lowest-daily-covid-19-deaths-more-3-months