Coronavirus cases rising in region; Iran, Turkey report new deaths

PanARMENIAN.Net - The novel coronavirus has been spreading throughout the world, including in the countries neighboring Armenia.

Georgian health officials on Saturday, March 21 reported four new cases during the previous 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 49, according to RFE/RL.

The country's Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has announced a state of emergency in the former Soviet republic in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Gakharia told journalists in the capital, Tbilisi, on March 21 that the state of emergency was scheduled to last for one month.

A total of 123 people in Iran have died of coronavirus over the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 1,556, Middle East Monitor cited Iranian health officials as saying on Saturday.

A Health Ministry statement said 966 new virus cases were found, raising the number of cases to 20,610.

A total of 7,635 people who were treated for the virus have been discharged from hospitals to date, it added.

At least 670 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Turkey and nine people have died, the Associated Press says.

Turkey’s president has released an audio message urging all citizens, especially the elderly and the chronically ill, to not leave their homes, take care of personal hygiene and maximize social distance to combat the coronavirus.

In Azerbaijan, nine more people tested positive for coronavirus, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Minister told Trend.

Currently, there are a total of 42 patients infected with coronavirus in special hospitals in Azerbaijan.