Death toll in Iran from coronavirus reaches 354

ISTANBUL

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose to 354, state television reported on Wednesday.

Authorities said 63 people died in the last 24 hours, while 958 new cases were found, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 9,000, Iran's semi-official TV news quoted Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour as saying.

A total of 2,959 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, it added.

Turkey, which has just a single confirmed case of coronavirus, closed its land borders and suspended air travel to Iran last month.

Besides China, Italy, and South Korea, Iran is the worst-affected country since the outbreak of the disease last December.

As part of its efforts to contain the virus, Tehran has taken several measures, including the closure of all schools and higher learning institutions, calling off sports events, and banning government officials from leaving the country.

The novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, last December and has now spread to more than 100 countries.

The global death toll is now almost 4,300, with around 118,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

On Monday, the head of the WHO said with the number of countries affected by the virus, the “threat of a pandemic has become very real.”

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz from Ankara