As many as 189 new coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 18,616, the Health Ministry said Monday.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that a total of 2,132 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, pushing the tally to 328,844, according to ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.

She said more than 286,642 patients have recovered so far, while 3,992 are hospitalized in critical condition. Over 2.71 million tests have been conducted in Iran to date.

Despite the rising number of infections and virus-linked deaths, President Hassan Rouhani has allowed mourning processions during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.