Addis Ababa, Aug 31 (IANS): Ethiopia's confirmed Covid-19 cases reached 51,122 after 1,468 new Covid-19 positive cases were confirmed on Sunday, the country's Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said in a statement that 23 more patients succumbed to illnesses related to the Covid-19 pandemic during the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in the East African country to 793, Xinhua reported.

According to the ministry, some 18,382 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 had recovered, including 266 in the last 24-hour period.

The ministry also said a total of 31,945 Covid-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, including 344 in severe condition.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation with about 107 million people, has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the East Africa region.

The country, however, has a far lower number of recoveries as compared to Kenya, the region's second-most affected country.

Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa is currently the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic accounting for about 70 per cent of all confirmed Covid-19 cases, according to the ministry.

Ethiopia confirmed its first case of Covid-19 on March 13.

The East African country has so far conducted 890,929 Covid-19 medical tests, including 21,499 medical tests during the last 24-hour period, according to the ministry.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus in recent weeks, the government is intensifying its mass Covid-19 testing campaign.

The Ethiopian government is mobilizing resources to ensure there is no shortage of laboratory materials and quarantine centres.

Ethiopia is also boosting its Covid-19 testing capacity at border points with neighbouring countries.