Coronavirus in Iran: Death toll climbs to five as 10 new cases confirmed
Iran has confirmed 10 new cases of the coronavirus, one of whom died on Saturday, the country's health ministry has said.
Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said the new cases brought the total number of cases in Iran to 28, including five deaths.
Most of the cases have been recorded in the holy city of Qom, 120 km south of the capital Tehran.
Some critics have voiced surprised that Iran continued with voting in its parliamentary elections this week in light of the cases.
The outbreak has prompted authorities to suspend religious pilgrimages to neighbouring Iraq, the Fars news agencies quoted an official as saying on Saturday.
The country's state news agency said on Thursday that Iraq had banned border crossings for three days as a prevention measure, while Iraqi Airways had suspended flights to Iran.
Neighbouring Lebanon announced one confirmed case on Friday, a 45-year-old woman returning from Qom.
'Strategic preparedness and response plan'
The virus, also known as COVID-19, originated in China, where it has killed more than 2,000 people.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Saturday that 80 percent of COVID-19 cases report only mild, flu-like symptoms, and just two percent of cases have resulted in death - a far smaller death rate than previous epidemics such as SARS or MERS.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organisation is concerned about cases with no clear epidemiological link, including those with no travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case.
"Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems," he said on Twitter.
"We have also published a strategic preparedness and response plan, with a call for $675m to support countries, especially those which are most vulnerable."
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