TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Deputy Health Minister for Treatment Qassem Jan Babayee said that the number of elderly people who die of coronavirus infection in the country is much lower than the figures in the US and the European states.

"The death rates among over-70-year-old people who die of coronavirus is very low (in Iran) compared with those of the US and the European countries," Jan Babayee said on Tuesday.

He reminded that a majority of old people live with their families in Iran, but due to the fact that the elderly people are mostly held in nursing homes in the US and the European states, the rate of coronavirus deaths is high among them in those states.

Elsewhere, Jan Babayee said that most of the equipment needed to diagnose, treat and protect against coronavirus infection is being produced inside Iran, adding that the country is also mulling their exports.

He added that at present 150 laboratories in Iran conduct coronavirus tests.

The Iranian health ministry announced on Monday that 2,979 new cases of infection to coronavirus have been diagnosed in the country in the past 24 hours, adding that 81 patients have passed away since yesterday.

"2,979 more patients infected with COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country in the past 24 hours based on confirmed diagnosis criteria," Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Monday.

He explained that 652 new patients were hospitalized and 2,327 others were identified as outpatients.

Jahanpour noted that the total number of coronavirus patients in the country has increased to 154,445 people.

He expressed pleasure that 121,004 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Jahanpour said that 7,878 people have lost their lives due to infection to the virus, including 81 in the past 24 hours.

The ministry’s spokesman, meantime, expressed concern that 2,578 patients infected with COVID-19 virus are in critical conditions.

He added that 955,865 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Iran so far.