Iran records 144 new Covid-19 deaths as military sets up emergency 2,000-bed hospital in Tehran

Iran saw nearly 150 new fatalities from coronavirus, health officials disclosed on Friday. The country’s military has deployed a makeshift hospital in Tehran as the Islamic Republic continues to battle the respiratory illness.

A health ministry official confirmed that Iran suffered 144 deaths from the previous day, pushing its death toll to 2,378. The Islamic Republic currently has 32,332 confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to a government tally.

The latest figures coincide with the creation of a makeshift hospital in the nation’s capital. The Iranian military reportedly converted an exhibition center into a 2,000-bed medical facility in just 48 hours. The hospital will be used to treat patients recovering from coronavirus.

Iran has been one of the hardest-hit countries by the disease. A lack of medical equipment to treat patients has been exacerbated by economic sanctions unilaterally imposed by Washington. In fact, the United States announced on Thursday that it would be implementing new restrictions on Iran, even as Tehran has appealed to the international community for aid to help fight the virus.

Coronavirus cases worldwide have surpassed 500,000, causing some 24,000 deaths, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The United States now has more cases than any other country, reaching an estimated 86,000 on Friday.

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