An Iranian Member of Parliament (MP) has died of the flu, a state-run news agency has reported, amid a sharp rise in the number of novel coronavirus cases in the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Ali Ramazani Dastak, who was elected as the representative for Astana Ashrafieh last week, was “hospitalised due to influenza and chemical injuries” dating back to the Iran-Iraq war, according to ISNA.
The agency report did not link his death on Saturday morning to coronavirus and it has not been confirmed whether he was one of five MPs who contracted the illness.
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However, journalist Ali Hashem, a research associate at the Centre for Islamic and West Asian Studies at Royal Holloway university, reported that Mr Dastak tested positive “a few days ago”.
It came as a health ministry spokesman said the new coronavirus had killed 43 people in the Islamic Republic, with 593 confirmed cases.
“Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours,” Kianush Jahanpur told state TV. “The death toll is 43 now.