"Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 43," Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, calling on people to stay at home. Qatar's health ministry reported on Saturday the first case of coronavirus infection in the country.
The patient is a 36 year-old Qatari who returned recently from Iran, the ministry said in a statement, adding that he is a stable condition. With Qatar reporting its first infection, Saudi Arabia becomes the only Gulf country not to have signalled any coronavirus case. France on Saturday cancelled all gatherings of 5,000 people or more in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak which has infected 100 people throughout the country.
The virus has now hit 61 countries across the globe, with more than 2,900 people killed and nearly 86,000 infected since it was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. South Korea, which has the most infected people outside China, reported its biggest surge in new cases on Saturday with 813 more patients confirmed, bringing its total to 3,150.
Italy, the hotspot of the outbreak in Europe, also reported a jump in new cases on Saturday, its number of infections exceeding 1,000 and the death toll jumping by eight to 29.