By Trend

As many as 488 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, reads the statement of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran, Trend reports.

In addition, 12 people have died from the coronavirus over the past day.

At the same time, the condition of 896 people remains critical.

So far, more than 51.4 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.

In total, over 149 million doses of vaccines have been used in Iran so far. A total of 64.4 million doses have been used in the first stage, 57.6 million doses - in the second stage, and 27.1 million doses – in the third stage.

Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from Iranian officials, over 7.23 million people have been infected, and 141,177 people have already died.

Meanwhile, over 7 million people have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread of the virus.

Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.