The ministry reported over 350,200 confirmed cases, with 20,125 deaths, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Speaking at a daily press conference on Wednesday, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said the number of people infected with the coronavirus in the country has risen to 350,279 after the detection of 2,444 new cases from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Of the new cases detected over the past 24 hours, 1,132 patients have been admitted to the hospital, she added.

Among those undergoing treatment in medical centers at present, 3,868 coronavirus patients have critical health conditions, Lari said.

More than 302,500 patients have recovered from the coronavirus infection or have been discharged from hospitals across Iran, the spokeswoman said.

Lari also noted that nearly 2,940,000 coronavirus diagnostic tests have been carried out in Iran.

Strict health protocols

The country on Wednesday began holding annual countrywide university entrance examinations for admission to higher education amid strict safety guidelines over the virus outbreak.

The nationwide exams – known as Konkour (from French Concours) – kicked off on Wednesday, with over 113,700 individuals vying for seats at art universities, Press TV reported.

A total of 1,393,233 people are expected to compete at this year’s university entrance examinations, which will last until Saturday.

This year, mohallas (open space outside mosques, mainly used for prayer) and sports stadiums have been added to the locations where the exams are usually held, mainly university halls.

Social distancing rules are also being observed during the event, with the participants sitting at a distance of 1.8 meters from each other.

They are further provided with hygiene packs and obliged to wear face masks and gloves during the examination.

The exams were due to be held early in summer but were postponed for more preparations to ensure the safety of the participants.

Waiting for approval

According to a member of Iran’s anti-COVID taskforce, the country would wait for the World Health Organization’s approval before buying a coronavirus vaccine unveiled last week by Russia.

Russia said on August 11 that it had developed the world’s first vaccine offering “sustainable immunity” against COVID-19 and was in the final stage of human trials.

“We are waiting for the international community, including the World Health Organization, (before) we buy the vaccine from Russia,” Alireza Zali said on Tuesday, AFP reported.

“In order for the vaccine to be used, genuine and independent organizations such as the World Health Organization must comment on it and approve it, which has not happened yet,” he told a news conference in Tehran.

“After scientific approval… we will negotiate with Russia to get the vaccine,” said Zali, who oversees efforts against the virus in the Iranian capital.

According to worldometers.info, the number of people infected with COVID-19 across the world has exceeded 22.3 million and the death toll has surpassed 784,000.