Iran’s official coronavirus death toll has risen to 4,869 but a parliamentary report said the actual number could be much higher and a deputy minister warned the infection could spread further in autumn.

Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur, speaking on state television, said the death toll had risen by 92, while the total number of cases of infection reached 77,995.

However, a report by the Iranian parliament’s research centre suggested that the coronavirus tolls might be almost twice as many as those announced by the health ministry.

“The assessment is that the actual mortality which has not been accounted for is 0.8 times the official figures. The number of infected cases could be 8 to 10 times the official figures,” the report said.

Read the full Reuters story here.