Iran recorded 881 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infected people to 8,042, the Health Ministry announced.

“The death toll from the outbreak also rose by 54 new fatalities to 291,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Kianoush Jahanpour, was quoted as saying by ISNA, as the virus continued its rapid spread across the country.

In a bid to stop the spread of the disease, Iran’s coronavirus task force has set up centers to accommodate coronavirus patients with mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization, he added.

The health official said infected people can be quarantined during the course of their illness and return to their families when they recover. So far 2,731 patients have recovered from the flu-like disease.

Jahanpour noted that the measure is already underway in provinces worst hit by the virus and the initiative has been welcomed by World Health Organization’s representatives dispatched to Iran to provide guidance on containment efforts.

The official said, “Hotels and inns can be utilized to hold patients with milder symptoms.”

Nearly 80% of cases do not show severe symptoms.

More Int’l Aid

To help Iran contain the contagion, Russia has supplied 50,000 testing kits.

Iran’s Ambassador in Moscow Kazem Jalali said the diagnostic kits have been delivered to the embassy and the equipment will be shipped to Iran as fast as possible.

Russia’s Red Cross Society has also announced that they are ready to provide Iran with medical supplies necessary to halt the coronavirus spread.

Beijing sent its third package of medical aid to Iran on Monday on board a Mahan Air cargo flight. Donations made by Chinese companies and people had been delivered to Iran’s Embassy in Shanghai.

The 1.6 tons of equipment include protective suits, facemasks and testing kits. The items include anti-epidemic drugs donated by China’s Jinghua Pharmaceutical Group, which have been used in the East Asian country to treat COVID-19 patients.

While pharmaceutical companies across the world are racing to develop a vaccine for the infection, there is yet no definite cure for the new coronavirus.

Iran’s tally of new fatalities from coronavirus has exceeded that of China’s, with the epicenter reporting 17 new deaths on Tuesday while Iran registered 54 more deaths.

Over 116,000 people have tested positive for the infection that has claimed the lives of over 4,000 worldwide.