TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 14: Officials of Keyvan Virology Laboratory are seen as people arrive to have Covid-19 test due to rises in coronavirus cases in Tehran, Iran on July 14, 2020. After coronavirus (Covid-19) cases have increased again in Iran, there is a high concentration in test centers in the capital Tehran. Officials say that only those who have symptoms have been tested. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iran has recorded 2,636 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 298,909.
Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said Wednesday that among the cases,1,604 people have been hospitalized.
Lari said there were 196 additional coronavirus-related deaths, bringing Iran’s total death toll to 16,343.
The country was badly hit by the virus earlier this year, with 23 members of its parliament testing positive.
Iran’s government temporarily released 54,000 prisoners in an effort to curb Covid-19’s spread and earlier this month President Hassan Rouhani ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks in public, after cases continued to rise.
