TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Richard Brennan, emergency director for the Regional Office of World Health Organization (WHO), recognized Iran's full commitment to dealing with the novel coronavirus, official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.

"After the first case of disease was reported on Feb. 19 in Qom, Iran took steps to fight the disease," said Brennan, who is currently visiting Qom, the hotbed of COVID-19 epidemic in the country.

WHO has provided Iran with technical assistance and a committee was set up in the United Nations with the entity as its chair, Brennan said during his meeting with Bahram Sarmast, governor of Qom Province.

According to a report by Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education on Sunday, at least 6,566 people in the country have been infected with COVID-19, of whom 194 have died.