Ethiopia's COVID-19 cases reach 178,108

Ethiopia reported 1,490 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the national count to 178,108 on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health said the death toll stood at 2,573 nationwide, including 18 new fatalities recorded over the same period.

Meanwhile, 660 patients have recovered, pushing the total recoveries to 144,488.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, is one of the countries hit the hardest by the pandemic in Africa, after South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The country has so far reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the East African region.

The Ethiopian government recently started a campaign to encourage face mask-wearing in the public as part of COVID-19 precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )