TEHRAN (Iran News) – Over 7,400 PCR tests for passengers suspected of COVID-19. Some 7,414 passengers underwent PCR tests under a plan to rapidly identify suspected cases of coronavirus and prevent the spread of new UK strain.
Since March 10, some 146,177 passengers were screened for COVID-19 by IRCS forces, 24,374 of whom underwent rapid tests, Mehdi Valipour, head of the Relief and Rescue Organization of the Red Crescent Society, said.
He went on to lament that some 47 individuals, who tested positive, have so far been temporarily quarantined, IRNA reported on Monday.
With the cooperation of ministries of health and transport, a plan was implemented to rapidly identify and test incoming passengers and keeping them in quarantine facilities, if necessary.
Thirty border checkpoints have been selected, including 18 land borders, nine air borders, and three sea borders, all incoming passengers will be tested and referred to the quarantine facilities in case of necessity.
Some 5,000 members of the IRCS cooperate for carrying out the plan; while around 8,000 individuals enter the country via borders daily, IRCS head, Karim Hemmati said on March 26.
Last week, President Hassan Rouhani said that the fourth wave of COVID-19 resurgence has been registered in two provinces.
“If people in other provinces do not observe (health guidelines), they may experience the fourth wave as well,” Rouhani was quoted as saying.
“According to the statistics, compliance with health guidelines has decreased,” he warned.
New cases and mortalities
In a press briefing on Monday, Health Ministry’s spokesperson Sima-Sadat Lari confirmed 23,311 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 2,093,452. She added that 1,720,084 patients have so far recovered, but 4,440 remain in critical conditions of the disease.
During the past 24 hours, 274 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 64,764, she added.
So far, 13,770,167 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.
