Iran’s coronavirus death toll has risen to 611 after the country confirmed 97 more victims and a surge in the number of cases.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said ‘1,365 fresh cases have been added to the number of infections in the past 24 hours’, bringing the total to 12,729.
Jahanpour told a televised news conference more than 4,300 of those with confirmed infections had recovered so far.
It comes as the pandemic began to spread to Africa, with Guinea, Mauritania and Rwanda suffering their first patients.
Iran’s coronavirus death toll has risen to 611 after the country confirmed 97 more victims and a surge in the number of cases. Pictured: Firefighters disinfect the streets of Tehran
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said ‘1,365 fresh cases have been added to the number of infections in the past 24 hours’, bringing the total to 12,729
Iran’s capital province of Tehran had the highest number of new cases with 347, followed by Isfahan with 155 and the northern region of Alborz with 134.
‘Naturally, the number of confirmed cases will increase’ even more as Iran steps up its laboratory sampling and tests, Jahanpour said.
The outbreak in Iran is one of the deadliest outside of China, where the disease originated.
But Tehran’s markets were still crowded despite calls for people to stay at home, with many shopping ahead of the country’s New Year holidays which start on March 20.
The ministry said Friday the average age of those who died was 67. The youngest was a three-year-old leukaemia sufferer and the oldest 91.
The outbreak in Iran (pictured) is one of the deadliest outside of China, where the disease originated
Medics and nurses wearing masks and hazmat suits treat patients infected with the coronavirus at Sina hospital in southern Tehran
Four times as many men as women died from the coronavirus. But in some of Iran’s provinces alcohol poisoning was killing even more people than the virus.
At least 92 have died from drinking methanol after rumours circulated that it can help to cure or protect from the virus, and the number has been on the rise for the past few days.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa also dramatically rose today, up to 38 from 24 a day earlier, the Health Ministry said, as the government weighs new measures to contain the outbreak.
Seven of the new cases were registered in the country’s economic heartland, Gauteng province, six in the tourism hotspot of Western Cape and one in KwaZulu-Natal province, a ministry statement said.
All 14 of those infected had travelled abroad to countries including the United States, Britain, France and Italy – the worst-affected European nation.
South Africa, Africa’s most-advanced economy, first detected the virus on March 5 and the jump in its positive test results comes as the outbreak spreads across the continent with Kenya, Ethiopia and Namibia reporting their first confirmed cases.
On Saturday, 114 South Africans who were stuck in the Chinese city of Wuhan during a lockdown in the epicentre of the virus were flown home (pictured)
Also on Saturday, 114 South Africans who were stuck in the Chinese city of Wuhan during a lockdown in the epicentre of the virus were flown home to spend between 14-21 days at a special quarantine centre in the northern city of Polokwane in Limpopo province.
So far, all of them have tested negative, the Health Ministry said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an urgent cabinet meeting on Sunday to explore ways of intensifying measures to contain the outbreak, the ministry said.
As countries stepped up measures to tackle the killer bug, Russia said it will close its land borders with Poland and Norway to foreigners.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the ban will come into force at midnight and apply to all international visitors travelling ‘for professional, private, study or tourist reasons’.
It will not include Belarusians, members of official delegations and residents of Russia.
Mikhail Mishustin said the ban will come into force at midnight and apply to all international visitors travelling ‘for professional, private, study or tourist reasons’. Pictured: Medical workers in Novomoskovsky on Saturday
Mishustin is pictured during a visit to the Kostroma District Hospital No 1 Alexander on Friday
As of yesterday Russia confirmed it had recorded 45 cases of the virus as the epicentre of the pandemic swept from Asia to Europe.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 24 residents of the city were infected and new measures were needed to stop the virus from spreading further.
‘Parents will decide whether their child will keep going to school or remain home,’ Sobyanin wrote on his website.
‘Every family can have different circumstances and kids’ immunity is different.’ He said the measure would remain in place until further notice.
Russian authorities are screening passengers returning home and ordering them to remain in self-isolation for two weeks even if they do not experience any symptoms.
As of yesterday Russia confirmed it had recorded 45 cases of the virus as the epicentre of the pandemic swept from Asia to Europe
A sanitary worker uses a thermal imaging device to screen the temperatures of people before a plenary meeting of Russia’s Federation Council in Moscow today
Sobyanin said today people living with those returning from countries heavily affected by the virus would also need to remain in isolation.
The deadly bug has killed nearly 5,000 people across the world and infected over 100,000.
In a similar move, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announced what she says will be some of the toughest border restrictions in the world to tackle the virus.
From Monday, all incoming passengers, including Kiwi citizens, will have to isolate themselves for 14 days.
The only countries exempt from the restrictions are a handful of Pacific islands that have not yet had any cases of Covid19.
In a similar move, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern (pictured yesterday) announced what she says will be some of the toughest border restrictions in the world to tackle the virus
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is set to close all schools and ordered remote teaching for at least two weeks starting next week.
The city’s Governor Anies Baswedan made the announcement as the number of coronavirus deaths in the country rose to five.
Millions of Italians are cooped up most of the day under the country’s nationwide lockdown.
Mayors of many cities, including Rome and Milan, had decided by late Friday to close public playgrounds and parks.
Health authorities have said too many people were gathering together, whether it was to kick around a football ball, or jog in groups.
Under a government decree issued earlier in the week, people had been allowed to walk, jog or bike in parks as long as they kept at least a distance of 1m between each other. But not everyone followed the rules.
Among the Italian parks whose gates were locked Saturday was Rome’s sprawling Villa Pamphilj, a hilly expanse of umbrella pines and palm trees on the former grounds of a noble family
Italy has the world’s largest outbreak of the coronavirus after China, and the death toll has surged to more than 1,000. Pitured: Catania
Among the parks whose gates were locked Saturday was Rome’s sprawling Villa Pamphilj, a hilly expanse of umbrella pines and palm trees on the former grounds of a noble family.
Italy has the world’s largest outbreak of the coronavirus after China, and the death toll has surged to more than 1,000.
Spain’s Cabinet will meet today to declare a two-week state of emergency and announce more measures to control the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Patients suffering symptoms has spiked sharply in recent days to over 4,000 infections in the country.
The measure would allow the government to limit free movement, confiscate goods, and take over control of industries and private facilities, including private hospitals.
Residents in Madrid, which has around half the infections, and northeast Catalonia woke up today to shuttered bars and restaurants and other nonessential commercial outlets as ordered by regional authorities.