TEHRAN (Iran News) – President Hassan Rouhani says statistics on coronavirus infections and fatalities in the country have always been announced promptly and accurately.

President Hassan Rouhani further praised the establishment of the National Coronavirus Headquarters.

“The decision made by the Supreme National Security Council to form the National Coronavirus Headquarters as well as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s move to communicate this decision was a major development,” said the president at a meeting of the headquarters on Saturday.

He also lauded untiring, wholehearted, and round-the-clock efforts by medical personnel to stem the spread of COVID-19.

“The state radio and TV, the Armed Forces, supervisory institutions, and the production sector have done a great job standing by the people over the past year in tandem with the National Coronavirus Headquarters and medical staff,” he said.

President Rouhani also reviewed the developments over the past year and since the outbreak of COVID-19.

“Over the past year, we came to the conclusion that lifestyles should be changed in order to tackle this disease because conditions for shopping, traveling, education, taking part in religious ceremonies, and going to recreational centers are not the same as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic,” he explained.

Rouhani also said: “We should change our lifestyle based on the new conditions, observe the health protocols, and reduce gatherings. If we see a symptom of the virus, we should quarantine ourselves so that we can get through the situation well.”

He also hailed the Iranian nation and healthcare system for the battle against the coronavirus, saying the Islamic Republic has been doing well in curbing the pandemic despite the U.S.’ illegal sanctions.

He said the Iranian nation suffered severe hardships since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic over the past year since all the world nations were free to use their own money for medical equipment, food, medicine, and vaccine except for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was deprived of access to its own financial resources due to illegal and cruel U.S. sanctions.

“Iran was the only country that was fighting with sanctions parallel with the coronavirus… We faced many problems for procuring and paying for COVID-19 vaccines,” Rouhani said on Sunday during a session of the Coronavirus Prevention and Combat Headquarters.