Iran's Ministry of Health today recorded 54 more deaths of nCoV, the highest number in a day in the country.

With 54 new deaths, the number of people dying from nCoV in Iran has increased to 291, Iranian Ministry of Health spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said during a televised news conference.

Iran also recorded 881 new cases, bringing the total to 8,042. Compared to the previous day, the death rate of nCoV in this country increased by 18% and the infection rate increased by 12%. "However, 2,731 people have recovered and been released from the hospital, 10 times more than the people we lost," Jahanpour added.

Outside of mainland China, Iran is one of the most heavily affected countries of Covid-19, with a focus on the capital Tehran, which recorded more than 2,100 cases. The second most serious locality was Mazandaran province in the north with 886 cases, followed by Qom city with 751 cases.

Iran has yet to impose mandatory blockade orders, but officials have repeatedly urged people to restrict travel and use measures to close hotels and other residences to curb the influx of people.

Many Iranian officials have died from nCoV, including Fatemeh Rahbar, a female MP representing Tehran, or Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the supreme spiritual advisory board. Some senior Iranian officials are also infected with nCoV, such as Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi.

Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, appeared in more than 110 countries and territories, causing nearly 115,000 people infected, more than 4,000 people died and more than 64,000 people have recovered.