The Latest: Iran announces record death toll for 2nd day

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has recorded a record high number of deaths from COVID-19 for a second day in a row.

The official IRNA news agency said Monday that 655 patients died in the previous 24 hours, and health workers found some 41,194 new cases over the same period. On Sunday, Iran reported 620 deaths.

The report came as the country imposed a five-day lockdown starting Monday. It includes a travel ban on personal cars crossing between provinces.

The new surge has been fueled by the contagious delta variant. Iranian authorities say less than 40% of the population follows measures such as wearing face masks and social distancing. Iranian health officials have regularly warned that hospitals in the capital, Tehran, and other major cities are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

This is the fifth wave of coronavirus infections as the country struggles to vaccinate its people. Some 4% of Iranians have been fully vaccinated.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Virus claims more young victims as deaths climb yet again

— US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall

— Amid a limited supply of vaccines, tensions arise in Africa between those seeking first and second vaccine shots

— Public forums before local school boards and city councils are the latest source of misinformation about COVID-19

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— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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