Iran's death toll from novel coronavirus pandemic climbs to 6,988 - health ministry
Iran said Friday it had recorded nearly 7,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus, warning of infection clusters in new regions after it partially eased lockdown measures. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the COVID-19 illness had claimed a further 51 lives over 24 hours into Sunday.
- Middle East
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 02:06 | 17 May 2020
- Modified Date: 03:04 | 17 May 2020
Iran on Sunday confirmed 51 more fatalities from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 6,988.
A further 1,806 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 120,198, Iran's state broadcaster reported, citing a Health Ministry statement.
The statement added that 94,464 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 2,705 patients remained in critical condition.
In Iran, one of the hardest hit countries in the Middle East, COVID-19 was first detected in the city of Qom on Feb. 19 and then spread throughout the country.
Since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, it has spread to 188 countries and regions.
The global death toll from the novel coronavirus has exceeded 312,000, with more than 4.65 million confirmed cases and recoveries have surpassed 1.69 million, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.