Iran's coronavirus death toll nears 5,300

ANKARA

With 88 new deaths reported in Iran, the death toll from the new coronavirus surged to 5,297, state media said on Tuesday.

The Iranian state TV reported Kianoush Jahanpour, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, as saying that 1,297 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 84,802.

Jahanpour said 60,965 people have recovered so far and been discharged from hospitals, while 3,357 patients are in critical condition.

The virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe now the hardest-hit areas.

There are more than 2.49 million confirmed infections globally with more than 171,100 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over 650,000 people have recovered.