MNA � According to a senior official in Iran�s health ministry on Saturday, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak, officially known as COVID-19, in Iran rose to 1,556 with 20,610 confirmed cases.

Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced that 966 more cases have tested positive with the virus in the past 24 hours, increasing the total number of infections in Iran to 20,610.

Some 7,635 patients infected by the new coronavirus have so far recovered from the disease, he added.

In the past 24 hours, 123 new deaths were confirmed with the coronavirus in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to 1,556, said Jahanpour.

Officials are calling on the people to avoid any trip as the New Year holidays have started as it may potentially speed up the virus outbreak.

As of Saturday, 276,462 people have so far been diagnosed with coronavirus epidemic around the world, with the death toll has jumped to 11,417.