TEHRAN

Iran recorded a record-high single-day spike in novel coronavirus cases on Wednesday as the country battles a fresh wave of the deadly virus.

Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari, in a statement, announced 5,616 more cases of the virus besides 312 new deaths.

This was the highest single-day jump in infections since mid-February, when the first cases were confirmed in the city of Qom.

Lari said the overall tally has now reached 545,286 cases with 31,346 deaths. Iran was one of the first countries in the region to report the virus.

She added that 438,709 patients have recovered so far, while 4,861 remain in critical condition.

Lari warned all 31 provinces in the country are currently "red zones" with high risk of coronavirus transmission.

Restrictions have been re-imposed in the Tehran, Qom, Qazvin, and Alborz provinces as the country has seen a significant surge in new infections and fatalities in recent weeks.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki had warned earlier that the country was in the grip of a third wave after managing to overcome the first two.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz from Ankara