"Over the last 24 hours, 43 people have lost their lives due to the virus, 2,394 people out of a total of 7,161 infected by the coronavirus have survived the deadly disease," he added.

Iran reported its first confirmed cases of coronavirus outbreak on 19 February 2020 in Qom. Iran has the third highest number of COVID-19 deaths after China and Italy, the highest in Western Asia and the third-highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, surpassed by only Mainland China and South Korea.

Iranian Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance, announced the cancellation of all concerts and other cultural events for one week. The Ministry of Health and Medical Education also announced the closure of universities, higher educational institutions and schools in several cities and provinces. The Ministry of Sports and Youth took steps to cancel sporting events, including football matches. The Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics created first COVID-19 test kit on 23 February. Management and Planning Organization announced government has allocated 5 trillion trials to combat the virus.

President Hassan Rouhani ordered the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development to make decisions about public commuting and the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade to build the required medical equipment. (ILKHA)