Head of Iran's disaster management contracts COVID-19 as death toll rises to 237

Iran on Monday reports 43 new deaths from coronavirus in past 24 hours

ISTANBUL: Head of the Iran's state-run National Disaster Management Organisation has tested positive for the coronavirus, local media reported on Monday.

Ismail Najjar, who has been treated in the hospital for a few days, is recovering well and quarantined in his home on Monday, organisation's spokesperson Ali Bakhtiari told the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Najjar became one of many public officials fighting the virus, including a vice president, dozens of members of parliament, and the deputy health minister.

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First detected in Wuhan, China in December, the virus known as COVID-19 now is present in more than 90 countries, according to the World Health Organisation.

The global death toll is over 3,800, with around 110,000 confirmed cases.

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries including China, Iran and Italy.

After declaring the outbreak an international health emergency in January, the WHO last month updated the global risk level to “very high.”

Increase in Iran's death toll

Iran on Monday reported 43 new deaths from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 237 dead.

"Our colleagues have confirmed 595 new cases across the country," Kianoush Jahanpour, the health ministry's spokesperson said in a televised conference.

"This brings the overall number of confirmed cases to 7,161 as of today noon," he added.

Jahanpour said the rate of new infections was dropping "but it is still too early to judge" when the outbreak could be brought under control.
"Forty-three people have unfortunately been added to the number of those who have died of the disease, so to date we have 237 dead."

The outbreak of the virus in Iran is one of the deadliest outside of China, where the disease originated.

With 1,945 cases, the capital Tehran remains the province with the most cases, according to the official.

The second worst-hit province with 712 confirmed cases is Qom, the Shiite pilgrimage city south of Tehran where the Islamic republic's first cases were reported.