Iran's COVID-19 cases surpass 15 thousand

Iran has recorded 221 coronavirus-related death over the past day, updating the anti-record for victims, Report says, citing RIA Novosti.

According to Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 2 621  new cases of coronavirus infection were detected over the past day, while 229 died.

The total number of infected since February 19, when authorities reported the first COVID-19 case in the country, reached 284 034, with 15 074 victims. Moreover, 247 230 people have recovered so far.

The situation is dire in Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Razavi Khorasan, Ilam, East Azerbaijan, and West Azerbaijan provinces.

On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities announced an outbreak of pneumonia in China's Wuhan, and the causative agent is a new type of coronavirus officially named COVID-19.

On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.