FNA - Deputy Commander of Iran's Army for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that 11,000 medical staff of the Army are helping the health ministry in the battle against COVID-19 virus.

“After Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s order, the Army mobilized all its 38 hospitals, 800 clinics and 11,000 medical personnel and they helped efforts to control the coronavirus,” Rear Admiral Sayyari said on Wednesday.

He added that the Army also prepared 12,000 hospital beds to take care of those patients who are recovering from coronavirus.

Rear Admiral Sayyari said that the Army has also conducted biological defense exercises in 24 provinces and disinfected the public places in 100 towns and cities.

Late in March, the Iranian Army launched a medical center with 2,000 beds at Tehran International Permanent Fairground special to the coronavirus patients who are recovering from the deadly disease.

The medical complex, prepared within 48 hours, was inaugurated in a ceremony in the presence of General Mousavi, General Heidari, Rear Admiral Sayyari, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi and the Armed Forces’ Deputy Commander for Health and Treatment Brigadier General Hassan Araqizadeh.

The medical center has 2,000 beds, and according to the Army, the number can be boosted to 3,000.

Addressing the ceremony, General Heidari said that the Army has launched 27 hospitals and 4,750 hospital beds across the country so far, stressing readiness to prepare 8,000 others.

Also, Rear Admiral Sayyari said that the Army is well-prepared to thwart any threat thanks to combat capability.

The Iranian health ministry announced on Tuesday that the country has identified 1,297 new cases of coronavirus infection, adding that over nearly 61,000 patients have recovered so far.

“1,297 more patients infected with COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country since yesterday based on confirmed diagnosis criteria,” Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Tuesday.

He said that the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran has increased to 84,802, adding that 5,297 people have lost their lives due to infection to the virus, including 88 in the past 24 hours.

Jahanpour, meantime, said that 60,965 infected people have been treated and dismissed from hospitals, expressing concern that 3,357 patients infected with COVID-19 virus are in critical conditions.

He also noted that 365,723 coronavirus diagnosis tests have been carried out in the country so far.