Iran: Death toll from coronavirus rises to 2,077

By Ahmet Dursun

ANKARA (AA) - A total of 143 people in Iran have died of coronavirus over the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll up to 2,077, said Iranian health authorities on Wednesday.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a televised statement that President Hassan Rouhani took new measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus including an international and inter-city travel ban.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, coronavirus has spread to at least 170 countries and territories.

The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now surpassed 424,000 while the death toll is nearly 19,000 and over 109,100 have recovered, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Italy, China, Iran, and Spain continue to be the most affected countries.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who contract the virus suffer only mild symptoms before making a recovery.