TEHRAN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced on Wednesday 6,182 new COVID-19 cases, raising the country's overall count to 1,348,316 infections, according to Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education's official website.
Of the newly infected in the past 24 hours, 840 had to be hospitalized, the spokeswoman for the Ministry Sima Sadat Lari said at her daily briefing.
And 84 new deaths related to the coronavirus were registered, she added, making for a death toll of 57,057 in the country.
Currently, 4,214 COVID-19 patients are in critical condition in Iranian intensive care units, while another 1,137,812 have so far recovered or been released from hospitals.
The risk of infection is currently high in 10 Iranian counties on red alert, she added.
At a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the first deliveries of vaccines for COVID-19 purchased abroad will enter the country in the next few weeks, official news agency IRNA reported.
Later in the afternoon, the Iranian Minister of Health Saeed Namaki said in an interview on state TV that Iran's authorities hope they can start the vaccination process on the first risk groups before Feb. 10. Enditem
