Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 87,000, 5,481 deaths

TEHRAN - Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education on Thursday reported 1,030 new cases from COVID-19, bringing the total number to 87,026, the state TV reported.

Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the ministry, said 90 died in the past 24 hours which increases the overall death toll to 5,481.

He put the number of recovered patients at 64,843, saying 3,105 are still in critical condition and under treatment.

So far, 389,507 people have been lab-tested for the novel coronavirus in Iran, the spokesman added.

The Iranian health official urged people for further respect to the social distancing regulations to help the authorities control the spread of the disease.

Iran is among the worst-hit countries in the Middle East in terms of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths.