IRNA � About 50 Iranians are being infected by the deadly COVID-19 per hour, a senior official at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education r said on Thursday.

Kianoush Jahanpour, head of public relations and information center of the Health Ministry, gave the report through a twitter message.

And the deadly virus kills one Iranian every ten minutes, Jahanpour added.

At his message, the official called on people to stay at home to remain safe and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The deadly coronavirus radiating from Wuhan, China, in December 2019 has affected thousands of people across the world, while over 8,000 have been killed. About 17,361 people in Iran have coronavirus which killed 1,135.

Iran has taken necessary measures to contain and control the widespread virus which has infected most of the world by now

Many Iranian officials have underlined the impact of US sanctions which hinders the arrival and purchase of medical equipment and medicine on Iran's healthcare systems.