ADDIS ABABA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 3,166 after 268 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Saturday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said.
This is so far the highest daily increase in the Horn of Africa country.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Saturday, revealed that from the total of 5,644 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24-hours period, some 268 of them have been tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of cases in the country to 3,166 as of the stated period.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health further indicated that while 267 of the latest confirmed cases are Ethiopian nationals, one other confirmed case of COVID-19 is a foreign national.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health also said that 495 patients who were tested positive for COVID-19 have so far recovered from the virus, in which 44 of the patients recovered during the past 24-hours period.
The ministry also disclosed that eight COVID-19 patients, ranging from 34 years old to 90 years old, succumbed to the disease on Saturday, eventually bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 55.
Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.
The Ethiopian government has instituted a wide range of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In April, the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives announced a five-month state of emergency to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Enditem
