Iranian lawmaker says 50 die of coronavirus in country

By Mustafa Melih Ahishali

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 50 people died of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran’s northern city of Qom over the past two weeks, local media reported Monday, citing an Iranian lawmaker.

Ahmad Amiriabadi Farahani was speaking at the parliament, according to Iran’s semiofficial ILNA news agency .

Farahani said there were no enough and adequate medical kits in the region, with health care personnel dealing with infected patients without having any virus protective equipment.

Many pharmacies don't even have masks, he added.

Earlier on Monday, Iran’s state television announced that the death toll from the virus in the country rose to 12 with 47 confirmed cases.

Turkey on Sunday temporarily closed its border with Iran and halted flights from Iran to prevent the spread of the virus.

In China, the epicenter of the virus, the death toll from the outbreak has reached 2,594, with over 77,000 confirmed cases.

Following the global spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak an international health emergency.