Iran confirms two more coronavirus deaths

The death toll rises to 14 in the Islamic Republic, which has the highest tally of deaths outside China

DUBAI: Two more Iranians infected with a coronavirus have died, media website Eghtesaonline said on Tuesday, taking to 14 the toll in the Islamic Republic, which has the highest tally of deaths outside China, where the virus emerged late last year.

"Tests showed they had the new coronavirus," the head of the Medical Science University of Saveh said, according to the website.

On Monday, the health ministry said 61 people had been infected in Iran.

Iran's clerical rulers have been struggling to rein in the virus since Wednesday, when Tehran confirmed its first two deaths, in the holy Shia city of Qom.



Authorities have ordered the nationwide cancellation of concerts and closures of schools, universities, and sports complexes as a precaution.

Kuwait and Bahrain on Monday recorded their first new coronavirus cases, all involving people who had visited Iran.

Kuwait detected the virus in three people among 700 who had been evacuated on Saturday from the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, state news agency KUNA said.

The health ministry identified them as a 53-year-old Kuwaiti man, a 61-year-old Saudi man and a 21-year-old whose nationality was unclear. It said the Kuwaiti and Saudi had been asymptomatic while the third person showed initial symptoms.

China, where the virus emerged late last year, on Tuesday reported another 71 deaths from the novel coronavirus, the lowest daily number of fatalities in over two weeks, which raised the toll to 2,663.