The Ethiopian Ministry of Health on late Tuesday said the country's total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hit 100,327, after 345 new cases were reported. According to the ministry, the new cases were discovered out of 4,360 COVID-19 medical tests that were conducted in the east African country during the last 24 hours. Ethiopia had conducted 1,534,470 COVID-19 medical tests so far, it was noted. The ministry also disclosed that the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the country reached 1,537 as of Monday, after seven new COVID-19 related deaths were reported during the last 24-hour period. The ministry said that some 61,516 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had recovered so far, including 806 in the last 24-hour period. Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa is currently the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 50 percent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the ministry. Some 61 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the east African country are males. According to the Ethiopia Ministry of Health, the COVID-19 fatality rate is 1.52 percent, while 51.9 percent of all COVID-19 deaths occurred in the over 60 age group. Meanwhile, 57 percent of all COVID-19 cases are in the age group between 15 and 34 years old. The ministry also said 63.1 percent of all COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic. Ethiopia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13. Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation with about 107 million people, has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the East African region. The east African country is the fourth most COVID-19 affected country in the African continent, only surpassed by South Africa, Morocco and Egypt. As of Tuesday evening, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent has reached 1,894,367 as the death toll due to the pandemic reached 45,647, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
