Health officials reported 49 new deaths caused by the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, bringing the total fatalities to 194, the second highest outside of China.

The tally of COVID-19 cases in Iran rose to 6,566 on Sunday, up by 743 from the day before while the number of deaths neared 200, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour was quoted as saying by ISNA.

In his daily press conference, Jahanpour listed the COVID-19 cases by province, indicating that central and northern parts of Iran have been hit the hardest by the infection.

Tehran, Qom, Mazandaran, Isfahan and Gilan are the five provinces with the most number of cases.

So far 2,134 patients have recovered from the infectious disease in Iran.

Last week, China’s Red Cross Society and the World Health Organization sent teams to Iran to help the country halt the spread of the flu-like disease that has spread across all 31 provinces.

On Friday, the international organization said 100,000 Iranian workers have dedicated themselves to the country’s national action plan to combat the new coronavirus.

Executive director of WHO’s emergencies program, Mike Ryan, added, “The Iranian system is switching on. We are seeing a much more all-of-government approach,” Reuters reported.

On the rapid spread of the disease in Iran, Ryan pointed out that Iran’s case resembles that of China and South Korea which identified a large number of coronavirus patients in a short span of time as they screened more people.

The Emergency Director for WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean also recognized Iran’s efforts to stem the spread of the virus.

Richard Brennan, who is currently in Iran to help with the country’s battle against the novel virus, said, “We have been impressed by the way that the [Iranian] government and the health workers and other sectors of the society are really working hard to defeat the virus."

The COVID-19 infection has reached at least 100 countries.

Coronavirus Task Force

The latest meeting of Iran’s coronavirus task force was headed by President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday, who thanked health care providers “fighting on the frontlines”.

Rouhani said, “The successful control of the infection in the short term depends on the public’s full cooperation with the coronavirus task force. We ask people to be careful and refrain from unnecessary trips.”

Millions of Iranians travel to different parts of the country on the 14-day holidays following the turn of the new Iranian year, sparking fears of a surge in coronavirus cases in late March and April.

The president also criticized the shortage of disinfectants and ordered the Industries Ministry to solve the problem and coordinate with the Health Ministry for the distribution of the supplies.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Roads was put in charge of activating health protocols in airports, train stations and bus stations, among others, to contain the contagion in the upcoming travel season.