A man wearing a face mask walks on a street in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 16, 2020. Iran's Health Ministry reported 7,603 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections to 1,131,077. It also reported 213 new deaths, taking the death toll to 52,883. (Photo: Xinhua)

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Health Ministry reported 7,603 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,131,077.

The pandemic has so far claimed 52,883 lives in Iran, up by 213 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

Of the newly infected, 1,157 were hospitalized, said Lari.

A total of 844,430 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 5,678 remain in intensive care units, Lari added.

According to the spokeswoman, 6,846,781 tests for the virus have been carried out in Iran as of Wednesday.

Currently, the risk of infection is high in 12 Iranian counties flagged with a red alert, while 288 counties remain in orange alert, and 148 others are at yellow level.

Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. Enditem

A woman wearing a face mask walks on a street in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 16, 2020. Iran's Health Ministry reported 7,603 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections to 1,131,077. It also reported 213 new deaths, taking the death toll to 52,883. (Photo: Xinhua)