‘Tough week’ ahead for Iran as coronavirus expected to peak: Health minister

A “tough” week awaits Iran as it will be witnessing the “peak” of the coronavirus outbreak in the coming days, health minister Saeed Namaki said on Friday.

Thirty-four people have died so far in Iran due to coronavirus, the health ministry’s spokesman Kianush Jahanpour said earlier today. However, BBC Persian reported the number of deaths across Iran from the outbreak of the virus is at least 210, citing its sources from hospitals in Iran.

The total number of people diagnosed with the disease is 388, according to Jahanpour.

Iranian women wear protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus, as they walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran. (Reuters)

“The fact is we have a tough week ahead…the coronavirus spread will peak in the next week and the coming days,” Namaki was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

All schools in Iran will be closed until Monday, he said.