President of Iran Hassan Rouhani called for strict compliance with the health protocols as the country is facing a growing trend in the coronavirus contagion that has afflicted almost all parts of the country.


Speaking at a Saturday meeting of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters, Rouhani said the number of patients infected with the new Delta variant of the coronavirus has soared in many provinces.

�Today, we are again facing a rising trend in the pandemic in almost all of the country,� the president added, blaming the spread of the disease on�unnecessary travels and laxity in observing the health protocols, among other reasons.

Voicing concern about the latest reports that the level of public compliance with the health protocols has fallen�to 48 percent, Rouhani said all efforts should be focused on convincing people to take the pandemic seriously and obey the health rules.

The outgoing president also promised that his administration will make another 10 million doses of COVID vaccine available within the next two weeks and will complete the vaccination of people above the age of 65 and those with underlying diseases before the end of his tenure.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Iran has surpassed 86,700 since its outbreak in February 2020. So far, some 5.68 million people have received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine in the country.