TEHRAN -- Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus rose by 73 in the previous 24 hours to reach 5,031 on Saturday, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour said on state TV.

The number of deaths recorded daily is one of the lowest in recent days, he said. The total number of people diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease caused by the new virus reached 80,868, he said.

A parliamentary report released earlier this week said the coronavirus death toll might be almost double the figures announced by the health ministry, and the number of infections eight to 10 times more.

Iran is the Middle Eastern country worst-affected by the COVID-19 respiratory disease and has one of the world's highest death tolls.

The virus, officially known as COVID-19, hit the Arabian Gulf earlier than Europe or the US, where most daily coronavirus deaths are now being recorded. Many of the first recorded cases in countries near Iran either came directly from China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, or from Iran, the worst-affected country in the Middle East. -- Agencies