QUITO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador on Monday reported 50 fewer cases of novel coronavirus infection than the day before, citing a change in methodology.
Confirmed cases of infection dropped to 29,509, down from 29,559 cases reported on Sunday, after officials began relying on patient identification rather than the number of positive tests.
"The new system reclassifies the registrations by people's identity card, not by the number of tests that have been done," the Public Health Ministry said in a statement.
That led to "a variation in the figures, which in no way coincides with the tendency of the curve" of infection, the ministry added.
Ecuador has to date registered 2,145 deaths from the disease, and identified another 1,486 probable COVID-19 deaths that have not been verified.
While still grappling with the outbreak, the government moved to cautiously resume economic activity in certain sectors as of May 4, though lockdown measures and a curfew are still in place. Enditem
