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RFL/RE – An Iranian lawmaker has died after being infected with the coronavirus, Iranian media reported on March 7.
Iran is one of the countries outside China most affected by the spread of the disease. As of March 6, the country had reported 4,747 infections.
The parliamentarian who died on March 6 was identified as Fatemeh Rahbar, a newly elected lawmaker from Tehran. It was unclear whether she was included in the country’s official toll of 124 deaths from the virus, given on March 6.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpur on March 6 said 17 people had died over the previous 24 hours, while more than 1,000 were additionally diagnosed as positive for the virus, bringing the total to more than 4,700.
The coronavirus has claimed the lives of several other Iranian officials, including an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader and a former envoy to the Vatican.
A number of other officials have tested positive for the virus, including Vice President Masumeh Ebtekar, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, and more than 20 parliament deputies.
Iran has closed schools and universities, suspended major cultural and sporting events, and reduced working hours across the country to slow the contagion, which has spread to all of its 31 provinces.
Global stock markets have been battered over the past 10 days as fears rise of an economic slump amid declining consumer demand and travel because of the virus.
China says that nearly all of its new confirmed coronavirus cases outside of the epicenter city of Wuhan have originated abroad, including many who arrived on flights from Iran.
The authorities on March 7 said mainland China had 99 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections for the day, down from 143 cases a day earlier and the lowest daily number since January 20,
The National Health Commission (NHC) said that, outside of the central Hubei Province, there were 25 new confirmed cases reported for March 6, of which 24 came from outside China.
It said that most of them were in northwestern Gansu Province from quarantined passengers who entered the provincial capital of Lanzhou on commercial flights from Iran between March 2 and March 5.
The capital, Beijing, reported four new cases — three of which came from Italy.
For the second day in a row, there were no new infections in Hubei outside of Wuhan, the provincial capital.
The latest cases bring the accumulated number of confirmed infections in mainland China to 80,651.
Deaths related to the COVID-19 virus in mainland China rose by 28 for the day to total 3,070.
In recent days, the rate of new infections has risen higher outside of China than in the country where it started.
Iran and Italy, along with South Korea, have been the hardest-hit countries.
