ISTANBUL

The death toll in Iran from the novel coronavirus outbreak rose to 988, local media reported on Tuesday.

Authorities said 135 people died over the last 24 hours, while 1,178 new cases have emerged, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16,169, Iran's state TV network quoted Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour as saying.

A total of 5,389 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, Jahanpour added.

The first case of the coronavirus in the country was confirmed in Qom province on Feb. 19.

Turkey, which has 47 confirmed cases of coronavirus, closed its land borders and suspended air travel to Iran last month.

Besides China, Italy and South Korea, Iran is among the worst-affected countries 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 education institutions, calling off sports events and banning government officials from leaving the country.

The disease, known as COVID-19, emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 146 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of over 183,500 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 7,100, while more than 79,900 have recovered, according to Worldometer, a website that compiles new case numbers.

The current number of active cases is more than 96,500, with 94% in mild condition and 6% in critical condition.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz