Coronavirus: 276 infected Indians abroad, Iran reports most cases

NEW DELHI: COVID-19, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, has infected at least 276 Indians abroad, with most cases reported in Iran, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the minister said 255 cases were from Iran, where death toll due to the virus is close to the 1,000 mark, while 16,169 are infected. Around 12 cases have been confirmed in United Arab Emirates (UAE), five in Italy, the second most affected country after China, and one each in Hong Kong, Kuwait, Rwanda and Sri Lanka.

It is unclear whether any of the infected people have been brought back to India and if they are included in the country's official list that says 147 have tested positive for the disease so far.

The virus has infected almost 200,000 people worldwide since it first emerged in China's Wuhan. According to data available on the US-based Johns Hopkins University & Medicine website, the virus has left 7,954 dead.