Coronavirus: Iran's death toll rises from 4,683 to 4,777, total cases 76,389

Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus rose by less than a hundred for the second day on Wednesday, rising from 4,683 to 4,777, while the total number of cases increased to 76,389.

Iran's health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV that there had been 94 deaths in the past 24 hours. This would suggest a slight slowdown in the number of people dying from coronavirus in Iran, which is the worst-hit country in the Middle East region.

Opposition groups have questioned the Iranian government's official numbers, with the anti-government Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) alleging that the real death toll from COVID-19 is over 26,000. The MEK has been accused of being a cult-like organization.

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IRGC claims it has new device to detect virus

The announcement was made on the same day Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had a new device which could detect coronavirus, known technically as COVID-19.

The device can detect infected individuals as well as contaminated areas within a 100-meter range, the head of the IRGC Hossein Salami said, who added it had an 80 percent success rate.

“When the device’s antenna is pointed at a specific location, it will detect the contaminated spot within five seconds,” explained Salami.

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