TEHRAN (Iran News) – Over 41,000 rapid coronavirus tests conducted at border points. Some 41,736 passengers have so far been screened for coronavirus by rapid tests at the country’s official borders since March 10, Mehdi Valipour, head of Relief and Rescue Organization affiliated to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), has stated.
During the aforesaid period, IRCS forces have screened 309,347 passengers for COVID-19, 15,749 of whom with symptoms underwent PCR and 41,736 rapid tests, he said, IRNA reported on Friday.
He went on to lament that some 58 individuals, who tested positive, have so far been temporarily quarantined, under a plan to rapidly identify suspected cases of coronavirus and prevent the spread of new UK strain.
Some 471 members of the IRCS cooperate for carrying out the plan in 16 provinces across the country, Valipour concluded.
With the cooperation of ministries of health and transport, a plan is being implemented with the goal of rapidly identifying and testing 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.
Around 8,000 individuals enter the country via borders on a daily basis.
New cases and mortalities
In a press briefing on Friday, Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 11,250 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 2,815,882. She added that 2,304,824 patients have so far recovered, but 5,015 remain in critical conditions of the disease.
During the past 24 hours, 200 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 78,194, she added.
So far, 18,683,814 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.
