Buenos Aires, May 12 (IANS): Argentina reported 25,976 new Covid-19 infections and 490 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,191,097 cases and 68,311 deaths, the Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday.

Of the total number of accumulated cases, 2,854,364 people have recovered and 268,422 are active cases, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Hospital bed occupancy at the national level stood at 69.4 per cent, while in the City of Buenos Aires and its periphery it was 75.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, 11,373,871 vaccines have been distributed, of which 9,346,346 have been administered, according to official data.

Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti announced on Tuesday during a meeting with provincial ministers that the South American country will receive 3,960,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in May as part of a total of 22.4 million doses purchased by Argentina.

"Undoubtedly, this is the beginning of a new stage after all the efforts made by the national government to obtain the vaccines and to be able to continue administering both first and second doses," Vizzotti said.

Argentina remains under a social, preventive and compulsory distancing measure until May 21.