A patient infected by the coronavirus receives treatment at a hospital in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. Credit: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Some 77 people with the coronavirus have died in Iran and there are now at least 2,336 confirmed cases in the country, Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said on state TV on Tuesday.

Concern has been mounting about the situation in Iran, which is battling an outbreak amid an ongoing economic crisis.

The country reported its first cases on February 19. State radio reported Monday that an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died after contracting coronavirus.

Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, was a member of the Expediency Council that advises Khamenei.