The spread has slowed so much in China that the government sent a medical crew to Italy and offered surplus supplies to Iran.
The situation is particularly grave in Iran which on Thursday reported 75 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 429 in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.
“We have identified 1,075 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, meaning that there are 10,075 infected people in the country. The death toll is 429,” Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state television.
Iran on Thursday said it had asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for $5 billion in emergency funding to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
In fact, the local outbreak was so vast in Iran that the country began digging burial trenches so large that they are visible from space. The fact was brought to light by Washington Post, which reported about the burial trenches Behesht-e Masoumeh complex in Qom, about 145 kilometres from capital Tehran.
The excavation for the new burial began on February 21, the Post reported, and then rapidly expanded. The burial ground is spread over 100 yards, the report further said.
