“With 141 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the death toll from the virus has reached 2,898. Unfortunately, we had 3,111 new cases since yesterday,” Jahanpoor said on state TV.
He also put the number of those who have so far recovered from the viral infection at 14,656.
The ministry official also said that over 65 million people have been so far screened for the coronavirus symptoms as part of nation-wide efforts to stem the spread of the contagious disease.
The coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, has infected over 750,000 people around the world. The global death toll from the pandemic is now more than 36,000.