Iran reports record 5,039 new daily COVID-19 cases

322 people have died from coronavirus disease in previous 24 hours as hospitals in hard-hit capital of Tehran are overflowing.

DUBAI - Iran's health ministry on Tuesday reported 5,039 new coronavirus infections in the previous 24 hours, the highest ever daily tally, pushing the national total to 539,670.

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 322 people had died from the disease in the previous 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 31,034 in Iran, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East.

Iran, which emerged early on as an epicentre of the virus, has seen its worst wave of deaths from the illness in recent weeks. Monday’s death toll shattered its previous single-day record, prompting state news outlets to declare it a “black day.”

Hospitals in the hard-hit capital of Tehran are overflowing. Last week, health officials announced that the city had run out of intensive care beds for virus patients.

The increase comes after Iranians packed cafes and restaurants at vacation spots during recent national holidays, and after schools reopened for in-person instruction last month.

The government has resisted a total lockdown because it does not want to further weaken an economy already devastated by unprecedented US sanctions. The Trump administration re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran after withdrawing in 2018 from Tehran’s nuclear accord with world powers.

With the death toll skyrocketing, authorities are now starting to impose more restrictions. The government closed museums, libraries, beauty salons, schools and universities in Tehran earlier this month, and imposed a mask mandate outdoors.