According to Iranian media reports, 835 new patients have recently been diagnosed with the virus. Following the outbreak, schools have been closed, major cultural and religious events have been postponed in Iran.
Iran's stand-in deputy health minister Alireza Raisi on state television said, “unfortunately, we have 11 new deaths, and with this amount we have reached 2,336 new confirmed cases and a total of 77 dead.”
Iran announced on February 19 its first two deaths from the coronavirus in Qom, a centre for Islamic studies and pilgrims from abroad. The country now has the highest death toll for any country outside China, where the virus has killed more than 2,900 people since late December.
The United States and Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders have accused Iran of concealing information about the outbreak.