Iran recorded a record number of new nCoV infections in a day, bringing the total number of patients to 16,169 with 988 deaths.

"According to reports from more than 56 laboratories, we recorded 1,178 new nCoV infections in the past 24 hours," Iranian Ministry of Health spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said at a news conference on television today.

The spokesman said 135 new deaths were also reported, bringing the total number of deaths from nCoV in Iran to 988. He added that 5,389 patients had been discharged "in good health".

Tehran province recorded more latest infections with 273 patients. Alborz Province, western Tehran, came second, with 116 new cases, followed by East Azerbaijan province, where 78 new cases were recorded.

"As of this morning, more than 15 million people have been checked for symptoms," Jahanpour said, echoing his call for people to stay home and asking them to report symptoms on their website. Iran Ministry of Health.

Major Shiite pilgrimage sites have been closed. Cultural and sporting events are postponed. The government also banned the organization of fire festivals to celebrate the Persian New Year.

Iranian Justice Department spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said today it will temporarily release about 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, to deal with the pandemic. He added that only those sentenced to less than five years will be released, but did not specify when they would return to prison.

Iran is one of the most heavily affected countries of Covid-19, in the context of a pandemic that has occurred in more than 160 countries and territories. The global currently records more than 180,000 cases, more than 7,000 deaths and nearly 80,000 recovery.