TEHRAN – The number of daily COVID-19 mortalities in the country hit a new record high of 200 on Tuesday and the total number of deaths reached 11,931, as officials warn of an alarming situation in the days ahead.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki expressed his deep concern about the surge in new cases and deaths and said “Unfortunately, many people did not pay attention to the instructions so that a new wave of illness affected us.

However, through the first wave, we were able to reach a great achievement by decreasing the mortalities to about 30, and we had planned to decline the deaths to less than 10.”

Namaki reiterated the need to maintain physical and social distance, not to join the gatherings and not to transmit the infection from asymptomatic patients, urging people not to travel.

Over the past 24 hours, 2,637 new cases of COVID-19 were identified in the country, of which 1,455 were hospitalized, she stated, adding, the total number of patients in the country reached 245,688, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Tuesday.

Currently, 3,270 patients with coronavirus are in critical condition.

So far, 207,000 patients have recovered or been discharged from hospitals.

From July 4 to 7, some 148, 163, 160, and 200 patients died of coronavirus, respectively, which shows a rising trend.

In an attempt to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, the national headquarters for coronavirus fight has approved that wearing face masks in public and crowded places is compulsory.

People must wear face masks indoors or in gatherings, from July 5 to 21. And if necessary, the plan will be extended until August.

Using a face mask prevents coronavirus transmission up to 80 percent, Sadat Lari said.

Alireza Delavari, Tehran University of Medical Sciences vice-chancellor, has said that “People's cooperation in preventing the transmission of coronavirus has decreased, and this will increase the incidence of disease and the number of hospitalizations and will cause problems for the treatment system.”

Referring to the increase in the prevalence of the virus, he noted that “Using a mask and observing social distancing are the most important factors in preventing corona, which is unfortunately not observed in large shopping centers, private companies, and even government offices, subways and buses.”

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