The death toll from novel coronavirus in Iran has now risen to 77 — the deadliest outbreak outside China, the Associated Press reports.
Iran's supreme leader has ordered the military to assist health officials in fighting the virus.
Among the dead are a confidant of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's former ambassador to the Vatican and a recently elected member of parliament. The sick include 23 members of parliament and the head of the country's emergency services, state media reported.
