Tehran [Iran],(ANI/Sputnik): Iran has registered 337 new deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, breaking its single-day record of coronavirus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, Sima Sadat Lari, a spokeswoman for the Iranian Health Ministry reported.

Lari noted that the Iranian authorities recorded 4,251 new infections on Monday, pushing the total number to over 534,630. The previous highest number of deaths from COVID-19 was 279.

Iran is going to join the COVAX initiative to ensure access to coronavirus vaccines at the international level, Heidar Mohammadi, the director-general of drugs and controlled substances of Iran's Ministry of Health, told the IRNA news agency on Monday. According to the official, Tehran is in line to purchase a vaccine and will have its share of doses whenever one is produced.

Early in the pandemic, Iran was one of the epicenters of the coronavirus infection. Due to the increase in the virus cases, Tehran's governor announced on Saturday the city's partial shutdown. The closure of the public gathering places will remain until at least October 23.

To date, Iran has confirmed more than 534,000 COVID-19 cases, with a death toll of 30,712.