Coronavirus Outbreak: Iran to call dead medical staff 'martyrs', as virus kills 291

Iran has decided to recognise doctors and nurses who die combating new coronavirus as "martyrs" like slain soldiers, country's supreme leer anunced Tuesday as outbreak killed 54 more people and pushed nation's death toll to 291. decision by Supreme Leer Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes amid a propaganda campaign alrey trying to link fight against virus to Iran's long, bloody 1980s war with Iraq. rising casualty figures each day in Iran suggest fight against new coronavirus is far from over, even as more people die from drinking methal in false belief it kills virus.

Khamenei meanwhile anunced that those who die medically combating virus will be considered martyrs in Islamic Republic. families of martyrs, typically from security services and armed forces, receive payments and benefits from state. It also bestows a sense of religious importance on those fighting virus in Shiite ocracy, which experts fear may be under-reporting total number of cases.

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Across Mideast, over 8,600 people have contracted virus and COVID-19 illness it causes. majority come from hard-hit Iran, which has one of world's worst death tolls outside of China, epicenter of outbreak. On Tuesday, Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kiaush Jahanpour offered new casualty figures for virus, which represented an 18% increase in deaths from day before and 12% more confirmed cases.

Jahanpour warned figures in Iran likely will continue to rise before Persian New Year, wruz, on March 20. He urged people to limit ir travel, which alrey has been difficult for police manning checkpoints on ros between major cities. Iran has yet to take widespre quarantine decisions like China and Italy. " rate of spreing disease is still rising, Jahanpour told a televised news conference.

A rumor circulating in Iran that alcohol can treat coronavirus has so far led to 37 deaths and sent 270 people to hospital after being poisoned by bootleg alcohol, state-run IRNA news ncy said Tuesday. Alcoholic bevers are illegal in Iran, but homeme brews in sourn city of Ahvaz apparently substituted toxic methal for ethal and used bleach to mask color, Health Ministry official Ali Ehsanpour said. Seven bootleggers have been identified and arrested, said Ali Beiranvand, deputy prosecutor in Ahvaz.

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Iran's health minister tests positive 

Iran's deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi was seen evidently discomforted and perspiring, hours before he was diagsed for Coronavirus. w in quarantine, Iranian Minister was diagsed for dely Coronavirus on February 26 , thus taking number of cases to 95 in Middle Eastern country and death toll to 15, as per IRNA. 

In a room full of reporters and government officials, Iranian Minister, prior to being officially diagsed, even gave a television interview to an Iranian news channel. In interview, shared vividly on social media, Iraj Harirchi was seen coughing continuously and wiping his se. However, Iranian Minister was t wearing a protective mask in eir of se videos, thus putting rest of those in press conference and TV news journalist in danger of highly infectious virus.

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(with AP inputs)