Sharp Drop in Covid-19 Infections

For the first time in 14 months, Iran’s daily tally of coronavirus cases fell below the 2,000 mark as the majority of the population have been immunized against the contagion. 
The Health Ministry on Saturday registered 1,680 infections, the lowest overnight tally since September 2020, pushing the total number of cases to 6.15 million, IRNA reported.
The ministry also logged 58 deaths as 19 provinces reported zero or only one fatality caused by the virus. None of the cities across the country are in a red state. 
Since the start of the vaccination campaign, Iran has given out 109.9 million vaccine doses to its population of around 85 million people.
Some 58.5 million have received a first shot and 49.1 million have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Health Ministry has also given out 2.2 million booster shots. 
President Ebrahim Raisi during Saturday’s National Coronavirus Headquarters meeting said that his administration will closely follow inoculation rates. 
“On the vaccination of children under the age of 12, we need to carry out scientific research and carefully examine studies conducted by other nations,” the top official noted.
On school reopenings, the president said that the authority on the matter had been delegated to provinces and local officials had been urged to prioritize the lives of students. 
He also referred to the launch of a new smart plan that only restricts movement for the unvaccinated as a way to stem the spread of the disease and encourage vaccination. 
In the first phase of the plan, Iran will ban travel via bus, train and plans for non-vaccinated individuals.