The country has so far reported 73,303 confirmed coronavirus cases, an increase of 1,617 cases in the last 24 hours.

“45,983 patients suffering from the novel coronavirus have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far,” Jahanpour said.

“Some 3,877 patients are in critical condition,” he noted.

Iran reported its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections on 19 February 2020 in Qom.

As of 8 April 2020, Iran has the fifth-highest number of COVID-19 deaths after Italy, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom, and the seventh-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world.

The coronavirus pandemic, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, has until now infected 1,791,027 people, killing at least 109,664 worldwide. (ILKHA)