In less than a week, Iran went from a country free of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to the largest epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East region with the highest number of fatalities outside of China.

Almost all of Iran's neighbors have closed their land borders and an increasing number of international carriers are canceling all flights in and out of the country.

In Tehran, pharmacies are fast selling out of face masks and other products aimed at preventing infection.

"All the sanitizers are sold out and we suffer from the lack of supply because Dermoset, which is an Iranian brand that supplies these things, has not distributed any product for two weeks," says Mojdeh as customers cram the counters trying to buy masks at three times the price they were a week earlier.

On the streets, vendors are selling masks for up to ten times the normal price.

Iran's foreign ministry has confirmed the novel coronavirus has now spread across the country since it was first officially detected in Qom, about 120 kilometers south of the capital.

Despite the official admission, there is still widespread skepticism about the number of new infections being reported.

"I got higher numbers from my family and friends who work in healthcare centers in Tehran than the statistics that local news declared," said Sara, a salesperson who had come to the pharmacy to buy masks.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has vowed to be more transparent after being accused of covering up the deadliest coronavirus outbreak outside China, dismissing claims the death toll could be as high as 50.

Iranian authorities have come under mounting public pressure, especially since it took days for officials to admit "accidentally" shooting down a Ukrainian airliner last month, killing 176 people.

Amid an air of distrust 

Ahmad Amiriabadi Farahani, a lawmaker from the city of Qom, was quoted in semi-official ILNA news agency as saying the real death toll in his city alone was 50 and that the fatalities dated as far back as February 13.  

In response, Iran's deputy Health Minister rejected the numbers saying he would resign if they were proved correct.  

Despite claims by Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei that COVID-19 is a propaganda tool being used to try undermine recent parliamentary elections, the government has rolled out a series of measures aimed at containing the outbreak including banning all sporting events and ordering the closure of places where large numbers of people congregate such as cinemas and theaters.   

The health ministry has been holding a daily briefing aired live across the nation in a bid to bolster public confidence.   

In the latest briefing, a ministry official acknowledged more people might be infected and that the ministry was only counting people who had been referred to them by doctors or whose symptoms were so severe they were diagnosed on admission for the virus.