Iran reports 63 new coronavirus deaths, toll reaches 354

The number of people who have died from the novel coronavirus in Iran jumped to 354 after the country reported the highest single-day total of 63 fatalities on Wednesday, Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the country's Health Minister, said.

"Over the past day, 958 new cases of the coronavirus disease have been detected. The total number of those infected has reached 9,000; 63 patients died in a day, and a total of 354 people have died in the country (since the beginning of the outbreak)," Vahabzadeh wrote on Twitter, adding that 2,959 people had already recovered.

The Iranian authorities have taken several steps to prevent the further spread of the disease, including suspension of schools and universities, and postponing cultural and sporting events. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will not deliver his traditional New Year's speech in the city of Mashhad due to the epidemic.

As of Wednesday, there are almost 120,000 confirmed cases globally, with the total number of deaths has exceeding 4,300 and recoveries at over 65,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.