Iran: Coronavirus death toll rises to 2,378

ANKARA

A total of 144 people in Iran have died of coronavirus over the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll up to 2,378, said health officials on Friday.

Health Ministry spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said 2,926 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 32,332.

This figure is the highest single-day jump in the number of cases Iran has so far seen.

Also, 676 people have recovered from COVID-19 in last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 11,133, according to Jahanpour.

The number of people who have undergone health screening as part of a national campaign against the virus launched on March 5 now tops 50 million, out of a total population of some 81 million, he stressed.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 176 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows nearly 538,000 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll above 24,000 and over 123,000 recoveries.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz