Iran’s coronavirus deaths surpass 29,000, records highest single-day toll

Iran has been the hardest-hit country in the region by the pandemic. 

By World Israel News Staff

Iran’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 29,070 have died from the disease with 254 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

It’s the country’s highest single-day death toll, surpassing 251 just at the start of the week.

In the Middle East, Iran has been the hardest-hit by the new virus. It’s the region’s coronavirus epicenter with the number of confirmed cases at 508,389.

However, Iran is not known for being forthcoming and the numbers may be inaccurate. In August, a BBC Persian service investigation found that the Iranian “government’s own records appear to show almost 42,000 people died with Covid-19 symptoms up to 20 July.” At that time, its Health Ministry reported 14,405 deaths.

The leaked numbers also showed that a month passed between the first case and the time Iran’s Health Ministry officially announced the coronavirus had reached the country.

“At the time Health Ministry officials were adamant in acknowledging not a single case of coronavirus in the country, despite reports by journalists inside Iran and warnings from various medical professionals,” the BBC reported.

On Tuesday, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 4,108 new cases were identified in the last 24 hours, according to the Tasnim News Agency. Nearly half, 1,949 patients, have been admitted to the hospital, she said.

She said that 411,840 patients have recovered from the coronavirus infection and been discharged from hospitals across the country, adding that 4,570 coronavirus patients are in critical condition.