Health minister: Iran marks first day without COVID deaths

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s health minister says the country has marked its first day after more than two years without a single COVID-19 death. He lauded this as a significant milestone for a nation that long had the highest number of coronavirus cases in the Middle East. The ministry on Thursday reported 175 new cases in the past day, bringing Iran’s number of confirmed cases during the pandemic to more than 7,230,000. Iran’s officially registered death toll stands at 141,318. The health minister noted America and Europe still have high coronavirus casualty rates. Earlier this year, Iran said the aggressive omicron variant was dominant in Iran and have urged hospitals to prepare for a new wave of hospitalizations.