Egypt reported 688 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday bringing the total infection tally officially to 298,296 since the outbreak began in February 2020, said the Health Ministry in its daily coronavirus update statement.

The ministry also reported 24 new deaths, the highest single-day toll of fatalities since 3 July (when 26 fatalities were reported), bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 17,016.

The statement added that 703 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 251,395.

In parallel with the steady increase of infections and fatalities, Egypt has intensified its mass vaccination campaign and ordered more vaccine shipments. 

On Tuesday, the UNCIEF Egypt announced that Cairo received a new shipment of 850,560 doses of AstraZeneca Oxford Covid-19 vaccine donated by Germany via COVAX initiative. 

According to the latest official numbers, more than 13 million people in Egypt have been vaccinated against coronavirus so far.

The government set up a target of 40 million people to be vaccinated by the end of 2021.