New coronavirus infections in Iran have risen by 12,543 in the past 24 hours, a record high, taking the cumulative total to 762,068, the health ministry said on Sunday, prompting President Hassan Rouhani to declare "the general mobilization of the nation and the government" to confront the third wave of the pandemic.
Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 459 people had died in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll in the Middle East’s worst-hit country to 41,493.
According to Lari, 5,666 patients are in critical condition.
So far, 5,505,070 tests have been taken across the country to detect infected cases, she added.
Also, she noted that 2,544 of the new cases have been hospitalized.
"I call on all governmental organizations and other forces and institutions to rush to the aid of the health ministry and health workers with all possible means," Rouhani said in a statement, published by Iranian state media.
The government said on Saturday that stricter restrictions will be imposed in Tehran and some 100 other cities and towns across the country from Nov. 21. Non-essential businesses and services will be shut and cars will not be allowed to leave or enter those cities.
