Iran said Friday that the coronavirus has killed 149 more people, raising the country's official death toll from the disease to 1,433.
Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said 1,237 more cases have been confirmed over the past 24 hours and 19,644 people are now known to have been infected in Iran, one of the world's worst-hit countries.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a speech on state television, praised Iranians for their "dazzling" sacrifices in fighting the coronavirus outbreak.
"These acts of sacrifice were made by medical groups, physicians, nurses, assistants, managers and the staff working in hospitals," said Khamenei.
Millions of Iranians are now confined within their own walls. But police said many defied warnings by health officials to stay home and avoid crowds by heading to the Caspian coast, a favorite destination during the Iranian New Year.
Around the world, the number of people who have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic now exceeds 10,000, according to an AFP tally based on official data at 1030 GMT Friday.
In total, 10,080 deaths have been reported, most of them in Europe and Asia. Italy is the worst affected country, followed by China, the initial epicenter of the outbreak, and Iran.
