TEHRAN: Iran on Saturday reported one more death among 10 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the Islamic republic to five — the highest of any country outside the Far East.
Since it emerged in December, the virus has killed 2,345 people in China, the epicenter of the epidemic, and 16 elsewhere in the world.
The COVID-19 outbreak in Iran first surfaced on Wednesday, when authorities said it claimed the lives of two elderly people in Qom, a Shiite holy city south of the capital.
They were the first confirmed deaths from the disease in the Middle East.
“We have 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19,” Iran’s health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told state television on Saturday.
“One of the new cases has unfortunately passed away,” he added, noting that eight of them had been hospitalized in Qom and two in Tehran, without specifying where the death occurred.
The latest cases take to 28 the total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Iran.
The outbreak emerged in the lead-up to a parliamentary election on Friday.
State media said the disease had failed to dampen “the revolutionary zeal of Qom’s people” to turn out to vote.
Iranians have been snapping up surgical face masks in a bid to avoid catching the virus.
Online retailer Digikala — Iran’s equivalent of Amazon — said on Friday that it had sold 75,000 masks within a 36-hour period.
It said it was not claiming a commission on its mask sales, amid concerns that demand was causing prices to skyrocket on the black market.
(With inputs from agencies)
Comment