Death Toll from Coronavirus Rises to 26 in Iran

The outbreak of coronavirus, officially named as COVID-19, in Iran has affected 245 people, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced on Thursday.

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Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said that among the infected people, 26 have died.

Jahanpur said that Iran has raised the number of the laboratories for testing the virus infection to seven centers and it will be increased to 22 in the following week.

Iran has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday, amid the spread of the new coronavirus across the Islamic Republic that had killed 26 Iranians.

Iran announced the first cases of viral infection in the central Qom city on February 18.

In response to the spread of the coronavirus, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced via Twitter that the Islamic Republic was suspending Friday prayers. 

"I would like to appreciate the respectable brothers & sisters, physicians, nurses & medical staff for confronting & combating the recent disease, which has come into the country. I would also like to thank the colleagues of the Minister of Health for their efforts," Khamenei tweeted. 

He would add: "We are hopeful this great and demanding work will not take very long, and that this inauspicious #CoronaVirus will soon be overcome by God’s grace. God willing, you will all be successful. May God’s peace and mercy be upon you."