Coronavirus: Iran vice-president and two Cabinet members test positive as death toll hits 354
- Authorities announce that there are some 9,000 confirmed cases across the country
- Number of infections climbs across Middle East, with 262 in Qatar and 189 in Bahrain
Iran’s senior vice-president and two other Cabinet members have contracted the new coronavirus, a semi-official news agency reported on Wednesday as the death toll in the Islamic Republic from the outbreak rose by 62 to 354.
The report by the Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, comes as President Hassan Rowhani took control of the country’s much-criticised response to the virus and the Covid-19 illness it causes. Authorities announced that there were some 9,000 confirmed cases of the virus across Iran.
The news also comes amid days of speculation about the health of Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri. Jahangiri has not been seen in pictures of recent top-level meetings, raising concerns about him.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Kuwait announced a two-week shutdown of the country while confirmed cases in Qatar jumped from 24 to 262.
There was no immediate report on state media about the Iranian officials being ill and no other media outlet in Iran immediately carried the report. Fars published it in a picture list of names in Farsi, with Jahangiri’s name at the top, saying he was in quarantine and improving, without elaborating.