Iran says 'tens of thousands' may get tested for coronavirus

An Iranian Health Ministry spokesman says the Islamic Republic is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands coming to test for the new coronavirus, underscoring the concern over the outbreak there.

Kianoush Jahanpour made the comment Saturday at a news conference where he said the illness the virus causes has killed 43 people amid 593 confirmed cases in the Islamic Republic.

Jahanpour denied reports by the BBC's Farsi service putting the death toll over four times as high, saying foreign media outlets had political biases and no access to Iran's laboratories.

However, his acknowledgment of the number of people potentially wanting testing shows how concerned Iran is over the virus, especially after days of officials downplaying it.

Iran has the highest death toll in the world outside of China, the epicenter of the virus.