Iran has reported a first double digit death toll from the coronavirus (COVID-19) in months as the country prepares for a potential new surge in the number of infections.
Figures by the Iranian health ministry showed that 10 people had died of COVID-19 over the 24 hours to Sunday afternoon.
The daily number of infections also rose to 2,375 of which 296 cases were hospitalized, said the ministry.
The figures come months after Iran announced the death toll from coronavirus had dropped to below 10 as a result of a successful vaccination campaign against the disease.
Total number of vaccines delivered to people in Iran reached nearly 150.5 million on Sunday, said the health ministry, adding that nearly 28 million people had received a booster third shot and more than 55 million had received two doses.
A total of 141,439 people have died from COVID-19 in Iran since the virus was first detected in the country in February 2020. Government figures show more than seven million people have been cured from the disease.
Medical experts had warned in recent days that death toll from coronavirus could increase with a potential spread of the BA.5 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of the virus.
Reports show authorities have intensified controls on travel to and from Iran to prevent a major surge in the number of coronavirus cases that could cause fresh restrictive measures on economic and social life in the country.