<p>Iran confirmed Tuesday its first case of a new Covid-19 variant first detected in Britain, as daily deaths dropped below 100 for the first time in over six months.</p>.<p>"Sadly, the first instance of the mutated British Covid-19 was detected in one of our compatriots who had arrived from England," Health Minister Saeed Namaki said in a televised address.</p>.<p>The patient was admitted to "a private hospital, and our extensive testing showed (the virus) was of the mutated type," he added.</p>.<p>Iran is the country worst-hit in the Middle East by the pandemic, with Covid-19 first surfacing in the Islamic republic in February 2020.</p>.<p>The new strain, which experts say potentially spreads faster than the original variant, has prompted travel restrictions on the United Kingdom by more than 50 countries, including Iran.</p>.<p>Namaki did not elaborate on the patient's identity but said no traces of the virus were detected among their family and acquaintances as the concerned individual had self-isolated upon arrival.</p>.<p>The Islamic republic has officially recorded 55,748 deaths and 1,255,620 infections since announcing its first cases in February last year, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.</p>.<p>But some officials -- including Namaki himself -- admit the official figures are much lower than the actual numbers, mostly due to testing protocols.</p>.<p>In the past 24 hours, the virus caused 98 new deaths, the lowest since June 18 when Iran recorded 87 fatalities.</p>.<p>Total infections also grew by 6,113 on Tuesday, remaining relatively stable at that level for the past three weeks, from a high of 14,051 on November 27.</p>.<p>The recent drop in virus figures came after tough restrictive measures were imposed as of November 21 for two weeks, some of which are still in place.</p>
<p>Iran confirmed Tuesday its first case of a new Covid-19 variant first detected in Britain, as daily deaths dropped below 100 for the first time in over six months.</p>.<p>"Sadly, the first instance of the mutated British Covid-19 was detected in one of our compatriots who had arrived from England," Health Minister Saeed Namaki said in a televised address.</p>.<p>The patient was admitted to "a private hospital, and our extensive testing showed (the virus) was of the mutated type," he added.</p>.<p>Iran is the country worst-hit in the Middle East by the pandemic, with Covid-19 first surfacing in the Islamic republic in February 2020.</p>.<p>The new strain, which experts say potentially spreads faster than the original variant, has prompted travel restrictions on the United Kingdom by more than 50 countries, including Iran.</p>.<p>Namaki did not elaborate on the patient's identity but said no traces of the virus were detected among their family and acquaintances as the concerned individual had self-isolated upon arrival.</p>.<p>The Islamic republic has officially recorded 55,748 deaths and 1,255,620 infections since announcing its first cases in February last year, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said.</p>.<p>But some officials -- including Namaki himself -- admit the official figures are much lower than the actual numbers, mostly due to testing protocols.</p>.<p>In the past 24 hours, the virus caused 98 new deaths, the lowest since June 18 when Iran recorded 87 fatalities.</p>.<p>Total infections also grew by 6,113 on Tuesday, remaining relatively stable at that level for the past three weeks, from a high of 14,051 on November 27.</p>.<p>The recent drop in virus figures came after tough restrictive measures were imposed as of November 21 for two weeks, some of which are still in place.</p>