There are now about 29 countries and territories hit by the novel coronavirus, as outbreaks are reported in Iran, Italy, and South Korea.
Iran has the most number of deaths outside China, while South Korea has the most number of cases outside China.
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Austria, meanwhile, reported two Italians as the country’s first two coronavirus cases, Reuters reported.
The patients are from Tyrol in Italy who travelled to Lombardy, which has been considered as the epicenter of the outbreak in the country.
The death toll in Iran, meanwhile, has reached 16, which is considered the highest outside China.
As part of efforts to curtail the spread of the disease, several countries suspended flights from Iran to Canada, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq.
READ ALSO: UAE halts all Iran flights following COVID-19 outbreak: GCAA
Khasab port in Oman has stopped importing and exporting activities with Iran.
“It is an uninvited and inauspicious visitor. God willing we will get through this virus,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech.
The deputy health minister of Iran has also been infected by the virus. In addition, concerts and soccer matches, as well as schools and universities, have been cancelled and suspended, respectively.
South Korea has reported 977 infections and 10 deaths, with most of the cases linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the Daegu city where the outbreak is believed to have begun through a 61-year-old woman.
In Europe, Italy has more than 280 cases and seven deaths, most of the cases are in the northern Lombardy and Veneto regions. However, there is also one case in Sicily, the first from the south of Rome.
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, and Oman reported their first cases—with all patients coming from Iran.
In Japan, with four deaths and 850 cases, officials are adamant that it is still too early to cancel the Tokyo Olympics due to start on July 24.
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