ANKARA 

Iran’s Health Ministry has estimated that the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, is claiming a life every 10 minutes in the country, state media reported on Thursday.

Around 50 Iranians are contracting the virus every hour, Health Ministry Spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour was quoted as saying by Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

In a tweet, Jahanpour also urged people to spend Nowruz, the country's New Year celebrations, at home this year.

The COVID-19 death toll in the country shot past a grim landmark on Wednesday, reaching four digits for the first time, with a total of 1,135 lives lost, Iranian state television reported.

Deputy Health Minister Alireza Reisi was quoted as saying that 147 people died over a 24-hour period, while 1,192 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 17,361.

A doctor working at a hospital in the capital Tehran died on Thursday. So far, 10 doctors and four nurses have died of COVID-19 in Iran.

According to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University, over 219,000 cases have been reported worldwide since last December.

The death toll is now over 8,900, while more than 84,000 patients have fully recovered.