Virus death toll spikes in Iran, with total now at 1,135 Iran says 147 more people have died from the coronavirus, a nearly 15% spike that raises the death toll to 1,135, with 17,361 infectionsTEHRAN -- Iran on Wednesday reported its single biggest jump in fatalities from the coronavirus as another 147 people died, raising the country's overall death toll to 1,135. The nearly 15% spike in deaths — amid a total of 17,361 confirmed cases in Iran — marks the biggest 24-hour rise in fatalities since Iranian officials first acknowledged infections of the virus in mid-February. For weeks, officials implored clerics to shut down crowded Shiite shrines to halt the spread of the virus. No virus cases have been reported in Libya, where the health care system has been decimated by years of conflict. Pakistan has nearly 300 cases of the virus, with many having returned from Iran.

Source: ABC News March 18, 2020 07:32 UTC