Iran reports record daily coronavirus death toll of 251

Iran has registered 251 new COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, a record daily toll, the health ministry said on Sunday, as the total number of identified cases rose above 500,000 in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that the latest toll took the total death toll to 28,544. There were 3,822 new cases, with the total number of identified cases to date reaching 500,075, she added.