Tehran [Iran], October 25 (ANI/Xinhua): The total number of COVID-19 infections reported in Iran reached 652,705 on Saturday after an overnight registration of 5,814 new cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for the ministry, said during her daily briefing that 335 more lives were lost in the coronavirus epidemic taking the total death toll to 32,320.

Also Read | COVID-19 Threat in North Korea: Citizens Told to Stay Indoors, State Media Says ‘Yellow Dust’ Blowing From China May Bring Virus Along.

In the past 24 hours, the spokeswoman said, 2,169 new patients have been hospitalized.

A total of 450,891 patients have recovered or been released from hospitals so far, with 4,952 still in critical condition in intensive care units, according to Lari.

Also Read | Donald Trump Casts Vote for US Presidential Elections 2020 at Polling Station in Florida Before Hitting Campaign Trail.

As of Saturday, 4,689,118 laboratory tests for COVID-19 were carried out in Iran, she noted.

The risk of infection is high in 27 out of 31 Iranian provinces, while the other four are on alert over the spread of the disease.

Following the COVID-19 resurgence in Iran over the past weeks, the health authorities have reintroduced strict protective measures and compulsory use of face masks in the capital Tehran and other major cities of the country.

Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on February 19.

Iran and China have offered mutual help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks to China.

In return, China delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On February 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. (ANI/Xinhua)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)