Iran's health ministry reported 11,517 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising the total nationwide infections to 726,585.

A man wearing a face mask rides a motorbike in Mashhad, Iran, Nov. 7, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

The pandemic has so far claimed 40,121 lives in Iran, up by 457 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

A total of 541,566 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 5,614 remain in intensive care units, Lari added.

According to the spokeswoman, 5,384,988 tests for the virus have been carried out in Iran as of Thursday.

Currently, the risk of infection is high in 27 Iranian provinces, Lari noted.