Iran's death toll from coronavirus outbreak nears 7,500

Iran on Sunday confirmed 58 more fatalities from coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,417.

A further 2,180 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 135,701, said the Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.

He said 105,801 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 2,615 patients remain in critical condition.

Jahanpour said no deaths have been reported in 13 states of the country in the last 24 hours due to COVID-19.

In Iran, one of the countries in the Middle East hardest hit by the disease, COVID-19 was first detected in the city of Qom on Feb. 19 and then spread throughout the country.

More than 5.33 million cases have been reported in 188 countries and regions since the virus emerged in China last December, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

The US, Russia, Brazil, and several European countries are currently the hardest-hit in the world.

The pandemic has claimed over 342,500 lives worldwide, while recoveries exceed 2.12 million.