Iranians are told to 'prepare for the worst' as country faces second wave of coronavirus, with 3,000 new cases yesterday – the highest since ending lockdown in April

Iranians have been told to 'prepare for the worst' as the country faces a potential second wave of coronavirus cases.   

The Islamic Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East, started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in deaths.

But on Sunday, the country reported 2,979 new cases of COVID-19, the highest since the lifting of restrictions. There were also 81 new deaths. 

It means there have been 154,445 infections and 7,878 deaths in total, according to official figures.

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Iranians have been told to 'prepare for the worst' as the country faces a potential second wave of coronavirus cases

May saw an uptick in the rate of reported infections compared with mid to late April - an acceleration the government put down to increased testing.

'The outbreak is not over yet and at any moment it may come back stronger than before,' health minister Saeed Namaki said in a news conference broadcast on state TV.

'If our people fail to respect the health protocols ... we must prepare ourselves for the worst situation.' 

Government employees went back to work and mosques resumed daily prayers on Saturday as part of the relaxation of the lockdown.

But authorities had to reimpose restrictions in the southern provinces of Khuzestan and Sistan Baluchestan in mid-May after an uptick of cases there.

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The Islamic Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East, started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in deaths. But on Sunday, the country reported 2,979 new cases of COVID-19, the highest since the lifting of restrictions

'There is still a long way ahead of us in our fight against this virus ... All the health protocols should be respected,' Namaki said.

It comes after harrowing footage showed sick people collapsing in streets across the country. 

In one of the clips, a man was seen slumped on the kerb in Zahedan, southeast Iran, coughing and clearly in severe pain. 

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It means there have been 154,445 infections and 7,878 deaths in total, according to official figures

In another, a woman lay face-down on the floor of a Metro station while bystanders gave her a wide berth.

Distrust in the country has grow over the Iranian government's alleged cover-up of the pandemic, with fears that the death toll may be five times as high as reported. 

Ambulance records handed to MailOnline show that three Iranian employees of the Chinese embassy in Tehran were hospitalised with suspected covid-19 symptoms on January 28. 

It wasn't until three weeks later, on February 19, that Iran's first covid patient, a merchant, was officially identified in Qom, about 100 miles south of Tehran. 

Activists accused the Iranian leadership of hushing up the earlier cases, in order not to embarrass the Chinese. Tehran relies heavily on Chinese support as US sanctions continue to bite, they said.

But an Iranian government spokesman hit back, claiming that the embassy workers, who had high fevers and severe coughs, did not have coronavirus. They have since been discharged from hospital.