Iran reports record deaths due to coronavirus

TEHRAN

Iran on Thursday confirmed 221 more fatalities caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide death toll to 12,305.

A further of 2,079 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 250,458, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.

A total of 212,176 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 3,324 patients remain in critical condition, the official said.

The pandemic has claimed over 550,000 lives worldwide, while recoveries exceeded 6.6 million, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. Total confirmed cases topped 12 million early Thursday.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat