Coronavirus: Iranian MP with virus dies as outbreak spreads

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Iranian women wear protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus, as they walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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An Iranian woman wears protective mask to prevent contracting a coronavirus, as she walks at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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An Iranian woman wearing a protective mask to prevent contracting a coronavirus walks at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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Iranian women wearing protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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An Iranian street vendor sells protective masks in the capital Tehran on February 20,2020. - Two people have died in Iran yesterday after testing positive for the new coronavirus, the health ministry said, in the Islamic republic's first cases of the disease. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

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An Iranian man wearing a protective mask to prevent contracting a coronavirus walks at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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Iranian women wearing protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus walk in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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Iranian women wearing protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus as they walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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Iranian couple wearing protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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An Iranian MP who contracted the novel coronavirus has died, a state-run news agency has reported, amid a sharp rise in the number of cases in the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad Ali Ramazani Dastak, who was elected as the representative for Astana Ashrafieh last week, is believed to have tested positive for the illness a few days ago.

He died on Saturday morning after being taken to hospital with “influenza and chemical injuries” sustained in the Iran-Iraq war, according to the Iranian Students News Agency.

It came as a health ministry spokesman said the new coronavirus had killed 43 people in the Islamic Republic, amid 593 confirmed cases.

“Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours,” Kianush Jahanpur told state TV. “The death toll is 43 now.

“The new confirmed infected cases since yesterday is 205 that makes the total number of confirmed infected people 593.”

In pictures: Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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$Slide 87 of 95: NEW YORK CITY, USA - JANUARY 31, 2020: Zhang Jun (L), China's Permanent Representative to the UN, has stated in his press briefing more than 130 patients have been cured of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. Maria Khrenova/TASS (Photo by Maria Khrenova\TASS via Getty Images)$
$Slide 91 of 95: KRASNOYARSK, RUSSIA - JANUARY 23, 2020: A Rospotrebnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being) official uses a thermal imaging device to conduct a temperature check of passengers arriving at Krasnoyarsk International Airport on a plane from Cam Rahn, Vietnam, in connection with an outbreak of coronavirus. Andrei Samsonov/TASS (Photo by Andrei Samsonov\TASS via Getty Images)$

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A medical worker sprays disinfectant at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in Daegu, South Korea, on March 4.

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Visitors wearing protective masks line up in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, on March 4.

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Slovakia's Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini attends a news conference during the summit of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries to discuss response to the spread of the coronavirus, in Prague, Czech Republic, on March 4.

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A woman wearing a protective mask serves tea at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 4.

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A Jammu and Kashmir police officer briefs passengers about guarding against the coronavirus in Lakhanpur, India, on March 4.

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U.S. Vice President Mike Pence gives a news briefing about the coronavirus with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on March 3.

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People wearing face masks cross a road in Shanghai, China, on March 2.

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The U.S. White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah L. Birx attends a press briefing, as Vice President Mike Pence looks on, in the White House on March 2. As of March 3, six people had died in the state and at least 100 confirmed cases were reported across the country.

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Government officials make phone calls to members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus to check if they have symptoms of COVID-19, at the Goyang City Hall in South Korea on March 3. The country confirmed its 29th death and more than 4,800 cases of the virus infection on March 3.

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A South Korean soldier wearing protective gear sanitizes a street in front of the city hall in Daegu on March 2.

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Students of Hanoi National University of Education attend the first day of classes after returning to the university, which was closed for over a month due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2.

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak as (L-R) U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams look on, at the White House on Feb. 29.

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Pedestrians wearing face masks cross a square in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 29.

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A police officer wears a protective face mask on the street in Mexico City, Mexico, on Feb. 29.

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A member of the Iraqi security forces wears a protective face mask in Baghdad on Feb. 29.

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A researcher works in a lab that is developing testing for the COVID-19 at the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation in Nutley, New Jersey, U.S., on Feb 28. The facility develops novel therapies for some of the worlds most difficult diseases.

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Commuters wear face masks on a street in Karachi, Pakistan, on Feb. 28, as the country detected its first two cases of novel coronavirus on Feb. 26.

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U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks next to Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, during a coronavirus task force meeting at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Feb. 27.

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A man wearing a face mask walks past an installation of the Olympic rings in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 28. The International Olympic Committee is "committed" to holding the 2020 games in Tokyo as planned despite the widening coronavirus outbreak, the body's president has pledged.

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Umrah pilgrims are seen after the cancellation of the departure to Mecca following the Saudi government's temporary ban announced on Feb. 27, to keep the country safe from the virus outbreak, at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb. 27.

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A health worker takes part in a drill to handle suspected carriers of coronavirus, at a hotel in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Feb. 26.

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A resident of Jongno-Gu district wearing a face mask sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul, on Feb. 27.

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School staff leave after the government announced a 14-day closure as they found a eight-year old student was infected with the virus, at Phraharuthai Donmuang School in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 26.

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Personnel wearing protective gear spray anti-septic solution at a traditional market in Seoul on Feb. 26.

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Spanish police officers patrol outside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, on Feb. 25.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks during a special government meeting to discuss measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, at the Daegu City Hall in Daegu on Feb. 25.

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Fans wear masks at Stadio San Paolo in Naples, Italy, on Feb. 25, prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona.

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A newly wed couple wear protective masks as they take photos with family in Hong Kong on Feb. 24.

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Two men ride a bike as they wear protective masks in Najaf, Iraq, on Feb. 24.

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Bruce Aylward of the World Health Organization (WHO) attends a news conference on the WHO-China Joint Mission on coronavirus in Beijing, on Feb. 24.

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Members of the Guardia di Finanza wearing face masks stop a car, amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, in Casalpusterlengo, Italy, on Feb. 24.

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U.N. Secretary General António Guterres speaks during an update on the situation at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, on Feb. 24.

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A street vendor sells face masks outside a railway station in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 24.

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Figures depicting coronavirus and "carnevals-virus" are seen at the Shrove Monday celebrations in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Feb. 24.

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A reveler wears protective face mask at the Venice Carnival, the last days of which were called off after third death was reported in the country, in Italy on Feb. 23.

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A couple wears masks during the Aalst Carnival parade in Belgium on Feb. 23.

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People wear masks in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 23. Iran's health ministry confirmed the death toll to eight in the country as of Feb. 23.

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People in traditional Korean hanbok dresses wear face masks as they visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on Feb. 23.

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Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 22.

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Members of Red Cross board a Colombian Air Force plane that will evacuate the citizens from coronavirus-hit China, at the CATAM military base in Bogota, Colombia, on Feb. 22.

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French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks next to the Junior Minister for Economy and Finance Agnès Pannier-Runacher during a press conference after a meeting on the coronavirus' economic consequences, at the Economy Ministry in Paris, France, on Feb. 21.

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A medical worker checks the temperature of a man wearing a protective mask at a quarantine checkpoint in the Son Loi commune in Vinh Phuc Province, Vietnam, on Feb. 20.

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A Chinese tourist, who was tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus and isolated for treatment, gestures while accompanied by medical staff after she was discharged from the hospital following her recovery, near Colombo in Sri Lanka, on Feb. 19.

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A woman wearing a mask in precaution of the virus outbreak prays at the Kwan Im Hood Cho Temple in Singapore on Feb. 19.

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Passengers wearing protective facemasks amid concerns of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak wait to board their plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia on Feb. 19.

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Media personnel chase after a passenger (C) who disembarked from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, on Feb. 19.

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Indians who were airlifted from Wuhan wait to collect their release certificates before leaving the ITBP quarantine facility in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 17.

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Military medics stand in a formation after deplaning from a transport aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) at the Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 17.

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A teacher gives a lecture with the help of her smart phone during an online class at a middle school in Donghai, China, on Feb. 17.

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Pictures of Pakistani students studying in Wuhan, China, are displayed by their family members during a demonstration in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 16. The family members are demanding the evacuation of their relatives.

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A U.S. passenger gives a thumbs up to reporters while arriving at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 17, after disembarking in Yokohama from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

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Nepalese nationals who were in Wuhan walk out from a Nepal Airlines plane at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, on Feb. 16. The chartered plane brought back 175 nationals from Hubei province.

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A classroom is cleaned in preparation for students' return to school in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 15.

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A woman is seen wearing a protective mask as she holds a rose on Valentine's Day, while waiting for the subway at a station during rush hour in Beijing, on Feb. 14.

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Passengers and children stand on the deck of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, as the vessel's passengers continue to be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19), at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 13. Aboard this quarantined ship, 219 people have tested positive with the virus.

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Family members of Pakistani students studying in Wuhan, rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 13., for the evacuation of their children from the Chinese city.

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Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) speaks to passengers on board the Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville on Feb. 14, where the liner on Feb. 13 was docked after being refused entry at other Asian ports due to fears of the virus.

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Jay Butler, deputy director for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), speaks to the media inside the Emergency Operations Center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on Feb. 13.

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An employee receives payment from a customer through a container on a stick, in Beijing on Feb. 12. A ramp has also been set up to deliver food from the counter.

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A laboratory technician helps a colleague remove the protective suit after leaving a laboratory in Shenyang, China, on Feb. 12.

People wave at family on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Daikoku Pier, Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 11.

Members of the media stand near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Feb. 11.

A Malaysian Royal Guard wears a protective mask as he stands guard outside National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 10.

Brazilian citizens from Wuhan arrive at the Air Force base of Anapolis, in Brazil on Feb. 9.

Workers produce protective clothing at a factory in Wuxi, China, on Feb. 8. The factory, which previously produced suits and sportswear, switched to production of protective clothing as demand increased due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

A Hindu devotee wears a mask as she carries a milk pot on her head at a shrine in Batu Caves during the Thaipusam festival in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 8.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks to the media during a press conference on the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong on Feb. 8. Lam said that the government has bought 48 million masks and received 17 million more from China to counter the shortage of masks in Hong Kong.

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has his temperature checked during a visit to a clinic in Gyeonggi, South Korea, on Feb. 8.

Flight attendants wearing protective clothing and masks serve snacks to Canadians, who had been evacuated from China due to the outbreak of novel Coronavirus on an American charter plane, on another aircraft taking them to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton from the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, Canada, on Feb. 7.

People spray chemical to sterilize vehicles against the virus in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, on Feb. 7.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks about the coronavirus situation during a news conference at the Centers for Disease Control in Taipei, Taiwan, on Feb. 7.

Members of an emergency team participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on Feb. 6.

Airport security staff checks passengers using a thermal sensor screen at the Hong Kong International Airport on Feb. 6.

A tourist receives a free protective face mask from Buddhist volunteers in Hanoi on Feb. 6.

Workers in protective gear are seen on Japan Coast Guard boats in Yokohama, on Feb. 5, bringing patients from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Beds are set up at an exhibition center, which was converted into a hospital, in Wuhan on Feb. 4.

This handout photo released by Malaysia's Ministry of Health shows citizens being directed onto a bus by health officials as they arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia in Feb. 4.

Health services staff members wearing protective gear interact with passengers at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb. 2.

Members of the Association for Sri Lanka and China Social and Cultural Cooperation (ASLCSCC) hold candles during a vigil to pray for people who are suffering from coronavirus across the world, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 1.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca speaks to the press after a Turkish cargo plane carrying 42 passengers from Wuhan landed at Etimesgut Military Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 1.

Officials make preparations in Turkish Air Forces' A400M cargo plane at Etimesgut Military Airbase in Ankara, which is to depart to China to fly Turkish citizens out of Wuhan, on Jan. 31.

China's U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun stated in his press briefing that over 130 patients have been cured of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus in New York City on Jan. 31.

Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (C) speaks to journalists during a visit to Suvarnabhumi Airport to inspect measures in place to monitor passengers as they arrive in Bangkok on Jan. 29.

Children are seen wearing facial masks as a precaution after Nepal confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, at Matribhumi School in Madhyapur Thimi, Nepal, on Jan. 29.

(L-R) Sabine Hagenauer of the infection department at the 4th medical department of Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Michael Binder, medical director of the Vienna Hospital Association, and Judith Aberle of the department of virology, Medical University Vienna, address a press conference at Kaiser-Franz-Josef hospital in Vienna, Austria, on Jan. 26. A Chinese flight attendant was quarantined in the hospital with symptoms of flu, in what authorities suspected as the first coronavirus case in the country.

A Rospotrebnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being) official uses a thermal imaging device to conduct a temperature check of passengers arriving at Krasnoyarsk International Airport on a plane from Cam Rahn, Vietnam, in Russia on Jan. 23.

Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, takes part in a news conference after a meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee to discuss about the outbreak of Pneumonia in China and other countries due to the 2019-nCoV, in Geneva, on Jan. 22.

Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travelers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the coronavirus at Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan Jan. 21.

Health officials watch travelers on a thermographic monitor at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, on Jan. 21.

Dozens of diggers work to build a new hospital in Wuhan, on Jan. 25. Due to the large number of infected people, the government decided to establish a temporary 1,000-bed hospital.

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However officials in Iran’s health system told the BBC that at least 210 people have died as a result of the illness. The authorities have previously been accused of a cover-up and the US has expressed concern that they may not be sharing information.

Mr Jahanpour accused BBC Farsi of spreading lies, while admitting that officials were preparing for the possibility of “tens of thousands” coming to test for the new coronavirus.

He urged people to stay away from mass gatherings such as funerals and limit their travel to avoid spreading the virus. All schools have been shut until Tuesday, while concerts and sports evens have been banned for a week.

Several high-ranking officials in Iran, including a vice minister, deputy health minister and five lawmakers, have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Iran has the world’s highest death toll outside of China, the centre of the outbreak, and has been the source of all of Bahrain’s 38 cases so far.

On Saturday morning Bahrain threatened legal prosecution against travellers who came from Iran and hadn’t been tested for the new coronavirus.

Only 310 out of the 2,292 people who came to the kingdom from the Islamic Republic have undergone testing, according to authorities there.

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