Coronavirus: China Reports 22 More Deaths, Total Count Mounts To 3,119

China's death count from the new coronavirus rose to 3,119 on Monday, after the National Health Commission reported 22 more fatalities. The confirmed cases for the first time fell below 40 since COVID-19 surfaced in Hubei province in January. This brings the total number of cases in mainland China past 80,735. Over 19,016 patients were still undergoing treatment and 58,600 discharged after recovery, the NHC said.

Meanwhile, China has started dismantling make shift hospitals built-in public places like auditoriums and sports complexes in Wuhan set up during the immense heave of virus cases in January and February.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the use of digital technology such as big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to better support epidemic monitoring and analysis, virus tracing, prevention and treatment, and resource allocation.

China has opened a new hospital built in 10 days, infused cash into tumbling financial markets and further restricted people's movement in hopes of containing the rapidly spreading virus and its escalating impact.

In Iran, death toll continued to witness northward trend which included a politician as well. A newly elected MP from Tehran was the second Iranian lawmaker to succumb to the deadly virus, state news agency IRNA reported

Fatemeh Rahbar, 55, served as MP from 2004 to 2016 and was among the top candidates in Tehran for the conservatives, who overwhelmingly won February's general election marked by the lowest turnout in the Islamic republic's history. Seven other politicians and government officials have died in the outbreak since the country reported its first cases in mid-February.

(With Agency Inputs)