TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Iran reached 66,220 on Thursday, with an increase of 1,634 in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education said.
With 117 new deaths, the death toll has reached 4,110 as of Thursday, said Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the ministry, during his daily brief on state TV.
A total of 32,309 have recovered and left hospitals, while 3,918 are still in critical condition, Jahanpur added.
So far, 231,393 tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in the country, he noted.
The Iranian health official urged people to adhere to the principles of social distancing, particularly when the low-risk businesses are scheduled to reopen on Saturday.
With a population of 82 million, Iran announced the first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19, so far recording the highest number of confirmed cases and death toll in the Middle East region.
