Publish Date: 23 February 2020 - 13:27

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (MNA) – The novel coronavirus, Covid-19, has so far claimed the lives of 2,464 people across the world.

According to the data collected from Worldometer, the number of patients with the new virus across the world has so far reached 78,829.

Countries like South Korea and Iran are reporting a growing number of infections despite a fall in cases in China in recent days.

The coronavirus can cause various illnesses, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as pneumonia. Common signs of the infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and other breathing difficulties.

The global death toll from the death toll has reached 2,464, with 2,443 deaths in mainland China, 5 in South Korea, 8 in Iran, and others in Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, France and Taiwan.

Concerns are growing over the global spread of the novel coronavirus after a spike in cases outside of mainland China among people with no connection to China or the city of Wuhan, ground zero for the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that there was still a chance to contain the Covid-19 virus, "but the window of opportunity is narrowing."

MNA/PR