The number of coronavirus cases in Iran has increased by 1,869 over the past day starting the downward trend after five days of daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases standing at over than 2,000, Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for Iran's Health Ministry, said on Saturday
TEHRAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2020) The number of coronavirus cases in Iran has increased by 1,869 over the past day starting the downward trend after five days of daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases standing at over than 2,000, Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for Iran's Health Ministry, said on Saturday.
"Over the past 24 hours, 1,869 new cases of the coronavirus infection were registered. Overall, 133,521 people have been infected, however, 104,072 have fully recovered," Jahanpur told the IRINN tv channel.
Moreover, 59 COVID-19 carriers died over the given period, taking the death toll to 7,359 since the start of the outbreak.
In late March, Iran was an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the middle East and was reporting some 3,000 cases per day. The spread started to slow last month and the authorities eased the lockdown in mid-April. By the end of the month, the country was registering less than 1,000 cases per day. Nevertheless, in early May, the trend reversed and the daily increase has significantly increased. Over the past five days, the daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases stood at over 2,000.
Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki has expressed concern about a possible return of peak coronavirus cases rates after the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. This year the holiday is celebrated during the last week of May.
The daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases began to rise in Iran as the authorities were weakening some lockdown measures. The government, in particular, resumed Friday prayers and reopened mosques in the holy month of Ramadan in "white" cities and towns, least affected by the coronavirus epidemic.
