Iran reports eight coronavirus deaths

TEHRAN, Feb 23 (KUNA) -- Iran on Sunday reported eight deaths caused by a novel strain of coronavirus, while some 43 cases of the disease have been detected in the Islamic Republic, according to health officials.
There have been 43 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Iran, resulting in eight deaths, state television cited health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur as saying.
Most of the cases, including eight of the new infections, have been in Qom, a holy city 120 km (75 miles) south of the capital Tehran, added the spokesman.
The pneumonia-causing virus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, spreading to other cities including Beijing and Shanghai, in addition to the United States, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, among other countries. (end) mw.nam