Tehran, Feb 27 (TIWN) The outbreak of coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, in Iran has affected 245 people whereas the death toll so far is 26, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced on Thursday.

“International organizations are worried about the negative impact of the (virus) to the global economy,” Liu Guoqiang, a vice governor of the People’s Bank of China, said Thursday, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.

“I’m also very worried,” he said, “and this worry has become a reality.”

Liu noted how China, the world’s second-largest economy, is one of the few countries in the world that has not resorted to “unconventional monetary policy.” As a result, he said, “China has relatively larger space for policy action, and has the ability to cope with various challenges, something which should be cherished and maintained.”

He noted how domestic interest rates, as guided by the loan prime rate, have room to fall further.