COVID-19 kills 21 more Iranians over past 24 hours

Some 21 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 140,940, Iran's Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
1,096 new cases of infection with the COVID-19 were found over the past 24 hours, 174 patients of whom were hospitalized, it said.
The Iranian Health Ministry further noted that 6,960,970 patients out of a total of 7,214,904 infected people have recovered or been discharged from hospitals.
Some 1,134 COVID-19 patients are in critical conditions and in intensive care units, it added.
The Health Ministry also announced that 64,257,430 Iranians have received the first dose and 57,449,467 people have so far received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Moreover, 26,883,926 people have also received the third shot as the booster jab so far.
Ali-Reza Naji, head of the Virology Research Center and member of the Covid Scientific Committee, urged people to receive the third dose in order to prevent losing the golden opportunity for vaccination amid the declining trend of coronavirus in Iran.