Twelve people have died and up to 61 have been infected with the new coronavirus, Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi has said during a news conference on state TV, rebutting claims from a member of parliament that 50 people had died in the country from the virus.

"We will announce any figures (we have) on the number of deaths throughout the country. We pledge to be transparent about the reporting of figures," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a news conference aired live on state television.

Iranian member of parliament says the death toll in Qom is 50:

A staggering 50 people have died in the Iranian city of Qom from the new coronavirus this month, a member of parliament from the city of Qom has said, according the semiofficial ILNA news agency.

"He is accusing the health ministry of not being transparent with the official death toll, he claims that more than 50 people have already died from the virus in Qom," Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Tehran, said."Now this is something the health ministry has not confirmed yet."

Source: Al Jazeera News