DUBAI: Iranian police have arrested 320 people accused of spreading rumors on social media about the coronavirus, with many questioning the official numbers of infections and deaths.

The official number of cases and deaths published by Iran’s Health Ministry has been questioned by lawmakers, city councilors and the public, according to Iranian daily Raido Farda.

Many believe, according to the report, that Iranian authorities hid the outbreak of the virus in the country before admitting on Feb. 19 that it had spread in Qom, Iran’s religious capital, killing two people.

The health ministry only announces the total numbers of cases for the country and does not disclose information for individual provinces or cities. 

According to the latest figures released by the health ministry, the number of infections in the country has risen to 106,000, with a total of 6,589 deaths.

The real number of coronavirus cases in the country could be 10 times higher than the cases identified by the ministry and the death toll nearly twice the official figure, an advisory report by the Iranian parliament’s research center estimated last month.