DUBAI: One person is dying from COVID-19 every three minutes in Iran, state television said on Wednesday, as the health ministry reported a record daily toll of 415 fatalities.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf tweeted that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest among dozens of officials to be infected.
Non-essential businesses have been shut in Tehran and dozens of other cities as cases rise again in the Middle East's worst-hit country.
Schools, theatres and museums have been shut and social, cultural and religious events cancelled for at least a week.
Iranian authorities have blamed the sharp increase on people failing to follow restrictions.
Total fatalities from the disease have reached 33,714, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV.
The number of confirmed cases rose by 6,824 in the past 24 hours to 558,648, she added.
Some experts have doubted the accuracy of Iran’s official coronavirus tolls. A report by the Iranian parliament’s research centre in April suggested that the coronavirus tolls might be almost twice as many as those announced by the health ministry.
Iran reports COVID-19 death every three minutes, speaker tests positive
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Iran reports COVID-19 death every three minutes, speaker tests positive
- Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf tweeted that he had tested positive for the coronavirus
- A report by the Iranian parliament’s research centre in April suggested that the coronavirus tolls might be almost twice as many as those announced
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 12
- Strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians Saturday, one of the highest tolls since an October agreement aimed at stopping the fighting.
The strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families.
The Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City strike took killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives, while the Nasser Hospital said a strike in a tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded more than 500 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions about the strikes.
