Coronavirus outbreak: Death toll reaches 43 in Iran, over 500 confirmed cases

Amid the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, the Iranian Health Ministry reportedly said that the deadly virus has killed almost 43 people and the number of confirmed cases has risen to 593. According to reports, Iran has the world's highest death toll outside of China and the new figures from Iran pushes the total cases in the Middle East to over 720. Furthermore, the Iranian government has urged people to stay away from mass gatherings and limit their travel. 

According to international media reports, China has also sent a group of experts to Iran to help combat the spread of the disease in the country. State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China, Wnag Yi reportedly said that they will continue to provide assistance within its capabilities to Iran in curbing the epidemic and treating the sick. China has also donated a batch of nucleic and detection kits and medical supplies to Iran to help fight the disease. 

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On the other hand, Bahrain reportedly threatened legal prosecution against travellers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the new coronavirus, and further also barred public gatherings for two weeks. Bahrain's government believes that all cases on the island have been linked back to Iran as approximately 2,292 people had come to the kingdom from Iran before the announcement of the outbreak there. 

Furthermore, on February 27, the Indian Embassy said that it has been receiving queries from Indian nationals residing in Iran and their relatives in India over the evolving situation of coronavirus. The Embassy informed that it is in touch with the local authorities in Iran and closely monitoring the situation. The Indian envoy to Tehran, Dhamu Gaddam, has now said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of citizens who wish to go back home. 

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Death toll surpasses 2,800

First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across more than 40 countries since December 2019. More than 1,700 people have recovered from the disease, whereas, nearly 12,000 coronavirus patients have by now been discharged from hospitals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the death toll in China has surpassed 2,800 and the National Health Commission reportedly confirmed 427 new cases. The total number of confirmed cases within China also hit nearly 79,000 and more than 83,000 worldwide.

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