Iran’s health ministry spokesperson on March 19 announced that one person dies every 10 minutes in Iran due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The statement came as the death toll in Iran surged to 1,284.

Kianush Jahanpur, health ministry spokesperson tweeted: "Based on our information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran."

According to the deputy health minister Alireza Reisi, 147 people had died over a 24-hour period, while 1,192 new cases were confirmed, as per Iran’s news agency.

On Thursday, Reisi noted that the total number of cases of coronavirus in the country had reached 18,407.

However, according to experts cited in media reports, the figure is relatively higher and being under-reported in order to contain panic.

Last week, a satellite image of Iran had revealed that Iran was digging mass graves in order to bury the bodies of the dead near Qom. This further corroborated the fear among experts that the regime is covering up the extent of the outbreak in the country.

So far, Iran has revealed the total number of infected people in the country has surpassed 18,000. Iran is currently under partial lockdown and the health ministry is encouraging its citizens to stay at home as the country observes the Persian New Year -- Nowruz, as per media reports.

coronavirus, Iran, COVID-19, Persian New Year, Nowruz

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