Iran: coronavirus death toll rises to 3,294

ANKARA

Iran reported 134 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus on Friday, pushing the death toll in the country to 3,294, a health official said.

Kianoush Jahanpour, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, said that 2,715 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 53,183, according to Iran’s state TV.

Jahanpour said 17,935 people have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals, while 4,035 patients are in critical condition.

After first appearing in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the virus has spread to at least 181 countries and regions.

The global death toll from the virus has hit over 53,200 with more than 1,018,000 confirmed cases and over 212,300 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz