Iranian authorities are contradicting each other on just how much the coronavirus outbreak has grown. Officials in the hardest-hit city of Qom on Monday reported 50 people had died of the disease since Feb. 13. But Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Iraj Harirchi insisted the death toll stood at 12 people nationwide, with 61 confirmed cases. He said Qom officials might have mixed in some flu-related deaths in their count.
The viral epidemic that started in China is gaining an international foothold. At least 204 people have the coronavirus in South Korea, and two had died as of Friday morning. The first to fall ill contracted the disease in China, but officials now say it is spreading within South Korea, primarily in the southeastern city of Daegu. They have traced many of the cases back to a religious sect where an infected woman attended services before testing positive for the virus.
South Korea | As South Korea seeks to deescalate tensions with North Korea, activists sending information across the border say the government is eroding their rights
