TEHRAN - The number of people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, in Iran has increased to 14,991, of whom 853 have died and 4,996 recovered so far.

Over the past 24 hours, 1,053 new cases of people having the virus have been identified, Deputy Health Minister Kianoush Jahanpour said, ISNA reported.

The highest number of new cases were reported from the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, and Mazandaran with 200, 118, and 96 cases, respectively.

The Iranian health ministry has announced that testing a domestically-made medicine has resulted in improvement of symptoms in severe cases of coronavirus.

An immunomodulatory drug called "Actemra" in patients with coronavirus in a hospital in Isfahan city has led to a partial improvement of the patient's symptoms in scans, Jahanpour said on March 11.

Richard Brennan, the Regional Emergency Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, has said countries in the region and all over the world should use Iran’s experience as a role model in fight against the novel coronavirus.

“Iran benefits from one of the strongest healthcare systems in the region. Iran has made notable achievements in the field of battling coronavirus,” the WHO official said in a press conference in Tehran on March 7, IRNA reported.

MG