Iran reported a record number of deaths from the new coronavirus on Tuesday. Two hundred people succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours.
That is the highest number since last Sunday when 163 deaths were reported.
“Unfortunately, we lost two hundred of our compatriots in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of victims of the virus to 11,931,” a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health said on state television.
Iran has been facing an increase in the number of infections and deaths for several weeks. “The increase in the death toll is very painful for all of us,” said the spokeswoman. “It is the result of our behaviour and the actions of all of us.”
Iran, which reported its first contamination cases and corona deaths in February, is one of the most affected countries worldwide.
The spokeswoman also reported that 2637 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours. That brings the total number of officially confirmed cases in Iran to 245,688.
The spokeswoman emphasized that the number of patients had increased sharply in a city in the country, “where the population has held about fifty wedding ceremonies in recent days.” She did not tell which city it was.