Health workers spray disinfectant on a train in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
Ethiopia confirmed 88 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, marking the highest daily increase since the disease outbreak in the country.
ADDIS ABABA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 582 after 88 more cases were confirmed, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday.
This is so far the highest daily increase in the Horn of Africa country, which on Saturday reported 61 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Sunday, said all 88 new COVID-19 cases are Ethiopian nationals - 51 males and 37 females, with their age ranging from 8 to 75 years old.
The ministry also stressed that among the 88 new COVID-19 cases, some 13 are said to have travel history from abroad, 20 having contact with known confirmed cases, while the remaining 55 are said to have no travel history from abroad as well as without prior contact with known confirmed cases.
The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health also said that 152 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have so far recovered from the virus.
A staff member (L) sprays hand sanitizer to passengers before boarding a train in Addis Ababa, capital of capital of Ethiopia, March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
The ministry had previously disclosed five patients have died due to COVID-19 related illnesses.
Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.
The Ethiopian government has instituted a wide range of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In April, the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives - the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament - announced a five-month state of emergency to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. ■
