Death toll in Iran from coronavirus reaches 194

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose to 194 on Sunday, the country's Health Ministry has announced.

Authorities said 49 people died in the last 24 hours, while 743 new cases were found, pushing up the total number of confirmed cases to 6,566, spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a news conference in the capital Tehran.

At least 22,177 people are currently under medical care, while the number of discharged patients stands at 55,404, he said.

Turkey – where there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus – last month closed its land borders and suspended air travel to Iran.

Besides China, Italy, and South Korea, Iran is the worst-affected country since the outbreak of the disease last December.

As part of its efforts to contain the virus, Tehran has taken several measures, including the closure of all schools and institutions of higher education, calling off sports events, and banning government officials from leaving the country.

First detected in Wuhan, China in December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to more than 80 countries.

The global death toll is nearly 3,500, and over 100,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries.

After declaring the outbreak an international health emergency in January, last month the WHO updated the global risk level to “very high.”