Two Iranian citizens have died from the coronavirus, officials confirm

The death toll from the coronavirus continues to rise – and the illness has now entered a whole new region.

Iranian authorities have confirmed two fatal coronavirus cases in the country, marking the first deaths from the virus to the Middle East.

The virus has killed two elderly Iranian citizens, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

IRNA quoted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the country’s health minister, as saying that both victims had been carrying coronavirus and were located in Qom, about 140km south of the capital Tehran.

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The state news agency said later that schools and universities in Qom would be closed so an investigation could take place. No additional details were released.

There are reportedly a further 25 people in Iran who have been quarantined in the same hospital on suspicion that they might have coronavirus.

Iranian authorities have confirmed two fatal coronavirus cases in the country. Picture: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Earlier today, Iranian authorities confirmed two cases of the new virus, the first in the country, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. Officials later said the two patients had died.

ISNA quoted an official in the country’s health ministry, Kiyanoush Jahanpour, as saying, “Since last two days, some suspected cases of the new coronavirus were found.”

Elsewhere in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates has confirmed nine cases – seven involving Chinese citizens, as well as one Indian and one Filipino.

In Egypt, a foreign national who was confirmed to have the virus remains in quarantine after the latest tests showed he was no longer carrying it.

The case in Egypt was also the first on the African continent.

There are now more than 75,000 cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with 74,185 cases and 2112 deaths in mainland China.

Chinese authorities have ordered house-to-house checks of all nine million residents in Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

The new Communist Party chief of Wuhan, Wang Zhonglin, has declared a three-day operation to cleanse the virus-plagued city, ordering every resident to be checked by officials.

Those who display symptoms of the virus, also known as COVID-19, will be taken to hospital and tested.

There are 15 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia.

Around 180 Australian evacuees from the virus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess landed in Darwin this morning.

The passengers, who were confined to the ship in the Japanese port of Yokohama, will now begin a second 14-day quarantine period in a camp facility near the northern Australian city, Australian health officials said.

Around 180 Australian evacuees from the virus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess have landed in Darwin today. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The group of evacuees was flown from Japan in the early hours of Thursday morning on a Qantas 747 chartered by the Australian Government. The flight came a day after more than 2000 passengers and crew began leaving the Diamond Princess after a widely criticised quarantine program aimed at stopping the spread of the disease, which infected more than 600 people on the ship.

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The virus causes cold-and-flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever, and in more severe cases, shortness of breath. It can worsen to pneumonia, which can be fatal.

First detected in China, the virus is believed to have originated in a type of wild animal sold at a Chinese market to be consumed as food. Iran has applied safety measure on arrival flights at its airports to control a possible spread of the virus.

Experts and African leaders have expressed concern that should the virus spread there, it might wreak havoc among less developed countries with fewer health resources.

With wires