Iran maintained its downward trend of daily coronavirus fatalities and confirmed cases, with the death toll reaching 4,777 and infected patients rising to 76,389 as of Wednesday, health officials announced.

Overnight deaths caused by the infectious disease remained a two-figure number for the second day in a row, adding 94 fatalities, down by four from a day earlier, Health Ministry’s Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said.

The country’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases also declined for the fifth straight day, adding 1,511 patients, down by 62, which brings the national total to 76,389.

“So far, 49,333 patients have recovered and been discharged, while 3,643 are in critical condition,” Jahanpour added.

According to officials, Iran has carried out 299,204 coronavirus tests since the virus was detected in the holy city of Qom, the first epicenter of the illness in the country.

Wednesday was also the third day that the number of tests conducted to identify infections declined, down by 78 from the previous day and by 185 from two days ago.

Jahanpour thanked the public for their patience and cooperation in staying at home and refraining from making unnecessary trips. He called for their continued support.

Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi also asked Iranians to “have mercy on healthcare providers”.

“We are seeing serious signs of people crisscrossing in cities for nonessential reasons; we are concerned about the consequences of this increasing presence in the future,” he added.

Reviving the Economy

Jahanpour, who is also the spokesman of the coronavirus taskforce, said so far, over 1.2 million low-risk businesses have registered on Salamat.gov.ir and they can gradually resume economic activities once again.

Iran eased confinement measures this Saturday under its Smart Distancing Initiative that allows low-risk businesses to resume operations, if the owners commit to comply with a set of protocols introduced by the Health Ministry.

The plan will expand to the province of Tehran on Saturday, as the government scrambles to contain the contagion at a time when unilateral US sanctions have left no room for another blow to the battered economy.

Italy, Spain and Austria, some of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic, are taking steps to revive their economies by letting some employees return to work.

Others are extending lockdown measures. France, Britain, Turkey, India and Russia are among countries bracing for a surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.

The outbreak has also spread to 52 countries in Africa with 16,000 confirmed cases and more than 800 deaths. Only two countries in the continent remain virus-free.

The Antarctic is the only continent still free of coronavirus infections.

Over two million have contracted the virus that has killed more than 127,000 worldwide.