Ethiopia reports 1,109 new COVID-19 cases

ADDIS ABABA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia reported 1,109 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 166,138, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

Nine new deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the country during the same period, bringing the death toll to 2,429, the ministry said.

With 715 more recoveries registered, the total recoveries rose to 138,500, it added.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, is one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic in Africa, after South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The country has so far reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the East African region.

Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse urged local people to stay vigilant, noting that the infection rate of COVID-19 has increased from 10 percent to 13 percent in recent weeks.

Latest figures from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Ethiopia's COVID-19 cases accounted for about 4 percent of the total confirmed cases on the African continent.

The East African nation has so far conducted 2,178,403 COVID-19 medical tests, the ministry said. Enditem