Rouhani Admits 2nd Wave Of COVID-19, Says Iran Will Overcome Pandemic

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday admitted that the country was currently facing a second wave of COVID-19, adding that Iran will overcome this crisis thanks to a collective effort

TEHRAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday admitted that the country was currently facing a second wave of COVID-19, adding that Iran will overcome this crisis thanks to a collective effort.

The Iranian authorities have previously said that despite the surge in new cases of coronavirus across the country following a decline, Iran was still coping with the first wave of the pandemic.

According to Rouhani, the first wave of coronavirus, which began in late February and lasted until mid-April, affected the northern and central parts of the country, while the second wave, which started in mid-June, mostly hit the southern regions of the country and border areas.

"We still need people's support and cooperation in the new round of the fight against coronavirus ... With a collective effort, we can well overcome the second wave of coronavirus and reach a point of calm," Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting, adding that the second wave of the pandemic was stronger than the first.

Iran has so far confirmed 260,000 cases of the infection and about 13,200 fatalities. Over the past month, the epidemiological situation in the country has worsened, both in terms of the average daily infection rate and the number of coronavirus-related deaths.