Ethiopia on Monday reported 704 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total tally to 10,207.
The East African country now becomes the eleventh country on the continent to surpass the 10,000 mark, as new daily infections continue to surge upwards.
“COVID-19 in Ethiopia is showing a sharp rise with the largest number of 704 cases reported in 24 hours yesterday. Once again, I urge everyone to follow the simple guidelines CONSISTENTLY to protect yourself, your family and community,” said Health Minister Lia Tadesse.
The health ministry also said that three more patients had succumbed to the disease, taking the country’s death toll to170.
The ministry said 5,137 patients who were tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered, including 196 in the previous 24 hours.
Ethiopia confirmed its first case on March 13, prompting the government to impose some restrictive measures in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.
The latest numbers come as Africa’s COVID-19 cases surpassed the 720,000 mark on Monday.
According to data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent has now reported more than 721,000 infections and over 15,100 deaths.
