Al-Monitor - Iranian officials in charge of combatting the coronavirus have warned they are running short of medical staff.

Despite massive efforts, lockdowns and province by province policy, Iran continues to grapple with the coronavirus, which shows no signs of slowing down as officials warn they are running short of medical workers.

According to Health Ministry Spokesman Sima Sadar Lari, 212 people died from the virus in the last 24 hours. In April, Iran was able to bring its daily death toll down to below triple digits, but in the last two weeks the country has been seeing on average 200 deaths a day � its highest average since the Health Ministry began publicly announcing numbers. Iran�s total number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths is now 15,912.

Currently, the country has placed 12 of its 31 provinces under a red zone label, meaning the governors and city officials of those provinces must follow more restrictive health guidelines. Some critics have said the health guidelines are not being followed. President Hassan Rouhani said July 26 office workspaces that do not adhere to the health guidelines set forth by the Health Ministry will face legal consequences, though he did not say whether they would be fined or receive other types of punishment.

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