Iran's health ministry raised Sunday the death toll from the new virus to 8 people in the Middle Eastern country, amid concerns that clusters there, as well as in
Italy and
South Korea, could signal a serious new stage in its global spread.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told state TV that there were now 43 confirmed cases of the illness in Iran.
The outbreak in
Iran has centered on the holy city of Qom, where officials say travellers from
China brought the new coronavirus.