A medical worker collects a swab sample from a mother for COVID-19 tests at a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aug.17, 2020. Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 31,336 after 1,460 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Monday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 31,336 after 1,460 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Monday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said.
The ministry, in a statement issued on Monday, said sixteen more patients succumbed to illnesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic during the past 24-hours period, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 544.
The ministry said 12,524 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had so far recovered, including 165 in the last 24 hours period.
According to the ministry, a total of 18,266 COVID-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, out of which 213 are in severe condition.
Amid the spread of the virus the East African country on Saturday reported 1,652 COVID-19 positive cases, the highest daily increase in the Horn of African country.
Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.
The East African country had so far conducted some 629,210 COVID-19 medical tests, including 19,747 COVID-19 tests during the last 24-hours period, according to the ministry.
Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the East African country, the Ethiopian government is intensifying its mass COVID-19 testing campaign as the number of COVID-19 cases rises rapidly in recent weeks.
The Ethiopian government is currently mobilizing resources to ensure there's no shortage of laboratory materials and quarantine centers.
On Monday, the Chinese technology and social media giant, ByteDance, donated 100,000 COVID-19 testing kits in support of Ethiopia's anti-COVID-19 pandemic efforts.
