Iran says new virus kills 54, death toll climbs to 291

Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour made the announcement in a televised news conference.

It represented an 18 per cent increase in deaths from the day before and 12 per cent more confirmed cases.

Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Mideast by the new coronavirus, which sickens but largely doesn't kill those afflicted.

Across the region, there are over 8,600 confirmed cases of the virus.

Worldwide, there are over 110,000 confirmed cases of the new virus, with more than 3,800 deaths attributed to it.

The number of people who have recovered is about 62,000.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

According to the World Health Organisation, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.