DUBAI, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Iran’s health ministry reported the country’s first three deaths from the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday. Iran this week lifted restrictions on land travel to and from neighboring countries and some European states but maintained a ban on arrivals from Britain, France and eight countries in Southern Africa over Omicron fears, Iranian media reported. read moreIran, the pandemic’s epicenter in the Middle East, has suffered 132,044 deaths in five waves of COVID-19 infections since February 2020. Deaths have fallen in recent months and stood at 18 on Saturday, a 22-month low, according the state television. More than 53 million of Iran’s population of about 85 million have received two doses of coronavirus vaccine, and 12.2 million have received three doses.

Source: Egypt Independent January 16, 2022 17:13 UTC