Iran: Death toll from coronavirus rises to 1,934

By Ahmet Dursun

ANKARA (AA) - A total of 122 people in Iran have died of coronavirus over the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll up to 1,934, said an Iranian health official on Tuesday.

According to Iranian state TV, Health Ministry spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said 1,762 new virus cases were found, raising the total number of cases to 24,811.

He added that a total of 8,913 people who were treated for the virus have been discharged from hospitals.

The number of people who have undergone health screening as part of a national campaign against the virus launched on March 5 now tops 41 million – about half the country’s population – he stressed.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 169 countries and regions around the globe, claiming over 16,500 lives as of Tuesday, while confirmed cases nearing 384,000.

Nearly 102,000 people have recovered from the epidemic.

Along with China and Italy, Iran has been among the countries hardest hit.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz