Iran's coronavirus death toll rises to 3,160

ISTANBUL

Iran reported 124 additional fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Thursday, pushing the death toll in the country to 3,160, a health official said.

Iran’s state TV reported Kianoush Jahanpour, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, as saying that 2,875 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 50,468.

He said 16,711 people infected with the virus recovered so far and been discharged from hospitals, while 3,956 patients are in critical condition.

After first appearing in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the virus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions.

The global death toll from the virus has hit over 47,500 with nearly 942,000 confirmed cases and almost 196,000 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat