QUITO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador on Monday reported a total of 312,851 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease and 11,664 deaths from the virus since the onset of the outbreak in February 2020.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, 253 new cases of infection and 27 more deaths were registered in the previous 24 hours.
The actual pandemic death toll is likely closer to 16,500 as another 4,814 deaths are considered to be "probable" COVID-19 fatalities.
Official figures show the capital Quito is the hardest hit, with 99,528 cases of infection, followed by the industrial port of Guayaquil, with 27,203 cases.
In both cities, hospital intensive care units are reported to be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
Ecuador began its vaccination campaign against COVID-19 on Jan. 21. As of March 15, some 121,054 people had received the first dose of a vaccine, according to official data. Enditem
