Iran's deputy health minister has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a tweet by the ministry's media adviser and a report by the semi-official ILNA news agency. Iraj Harirchi had given a news conference on Monday denying claims from a member of parliament that 50 people had died from the virus in the country. According to official numbers released by the health ministry on Tuesday, 15 people have died among 95 confirmed cases in Iran.
The virus has now infected more than 80,000 globally, killing at least 2,700. Iran, Oman confirm more cases Oman has identified two new cases of coronavirus, while Bahrain has confirmed nine new cases, the two countries health ministries reported. Both Bahrain and Oman reported their first cases on Monday.
Austria confirms first case Austria has confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus, a spokeswoman for the health authority in the province of Tyrol has said. The infected individuals are two Italians who live in the province and were probably infected in Italy's Lombardy region, Tyrol governor Guenther Platter was quoted as saying by local media.
Croatia confirms first case Croatia has confirmed its first case of coronavirus infection in a patient hospitalised in the capital Zagreb, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has said. "The patient is in the Zagreb clinic for infectious diseases. It is a younger person and has milder symptoms. He is in isolation and his condition is good at the moment," Plenkovic told a news conference.
Iran deputy health minister has coronavirus: Adviser Iran's deputy health minister has been infected with the new coronavirus, a ministry official has said, amid a major outbreak in the Islamic republic. "The coronavirus test for Mr Harirchi, the deputy health minister who was on the front lines combating the coronavirus, was positive," Alireza Vahabzadeh, a media adviser to the health minister, said in a tweet.
Iraj Harirchi coughed occasionally and appeared to be sweating during a press conference on Monday with government spokesman Ali Rabiei. The semi-official ILNA news agency also reported Harirchi had contracted the virus. Iran confirmed cases rises to 95 Iranian health officials said the number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to 95, with 15 confirmed deaths.
"It will be safer for people to stay at home. There were 34 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, including 16 people in Qom city," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told state TV. Hundreds of tourists in Tenerife hotel lockdown Hundreds of people were confined to their rooms at a Tenerife hotel Tuesday after an Italian tourist was hospitalised with a suspected case of coronavirus, health officials in the Canary Islands said.
"Hundreds of hotel clients are being monitored for health reasons and the degree of supervision will be assessed during the day, but so far, we're not talking about quarantine," health authority spokeswoman Veronica Martin told AFP, confirming that the Italian tourist "was staying at this hotel while on holiday in Tenerife".