Iran reports 113 new virus deaths; toll rises to 724

Iran announced on Sunday that the new coronavirus has killed 113 more people, the highest single-day death toll yet in one of the world's worst-affected countries.

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People "should cancel all travel and stay at home so that we may see the situation improving in the coming days," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised conference.

Iranians wear protective masks in the capital Tehran. File/AFP

“In the past 24 hours, 1,209 new cases have been confirmed... with 113 deaths in the past 24 hours, the death toll has reached 724," Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran's health minister, tweeted.

Iran's official leading the country's response to the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East on Sunday acknowledged that the pandemic could overwhelm health facilities in Iran, which is under severe US sanctions.

Paramedics test samples taken from patients suspected of the coronavirus, at a laboratory in Ahvaz, Iran. AP

Iran is battling one of the worst outbreaks outside China, with nearly 13,000 confirmed cases and more than 700 fatalities. The real number of infections could be even higher, as questions have been raised about the government's transparency.

"If the trend continues, there will not be enough capacity,” Ali Reza Zali, who is leading the campaign against the outbreak, was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency.

Agencies