TEHRAN – Some 12,504 passengers have so far undergone PCR tests based on a plan launched on March 10 to rapidly identify suspected cases of coronavirus and prevent the spread of new UK strain.

Meanwhile, 258,937 passengers were screened for COVID-19 by IRCS forces, 37,692 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 57 individuals, who tested positive, have so far been temporarily quarantined, IRNA reported on Saturday.

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 16 land borders, 10 air borders, and 2 sea borders, all incoming passengers will be tested and referred to the quarantine facilities in case of necessity.

Some 471 members of the IRCS cooperate for carrying out the plan; while around 8,000 individuals enter the country via borders daily.

On April 28, shared borders with Pakistan were closed, and a day later, the eastern border terminals of the country stopped operation, to contain the new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New cases and mortalities

In a press briefing on Saturday, Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 13,576 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 2,640,670. She added that 2,092,381 patients have so far recovered, but 5,545 remain in critical conditions of the disease.

During the past 24 hours, 283 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 74,524, she added.

So far, 16,929,609 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been performed in the country.

FB/MG