Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 45,221 after 1,533 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Wednesday, the country's Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said in a statement that 16 more patients succumbed to illnesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic during the past 24-hours period, which brought the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the East African country to 725.

According to the ministry, some 16,311 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had recovered, including 515 in the last 24-hour period.

The ministry also said that a total of 28,183 COVID-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, including 327 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.

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 centers.

Ethiopia is also boosting its COVID-19 testing capacity at border points with neighboring countries