ALGIERS, Jan 22 (Xinhua) -- Algeria registered on Saturday a record 2,211 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the total tally of infections to 234,536.
The North African country also reported 13 deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll nationwide to 6,481, according to the daily briefing released by its health authorities.
Amid the strong surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant, Algeria shut down schools for 10 days starting Thursday. ■