Mongolia's Covid-19 cases top 100,000

Ulan Bator: Mongolia recorded 2,213 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, raising the nationwide tally to 100,263, the country's health ministry said Wednesday.

One of the latest confirmed cases was imported from the abroad, and the remaining ones were local infections.

Mongolia's Covid-19 surge continues, and since mid-June, more than 2,000 Covid-19 infections have been reported daily in the country with a population of 3.3 million.

The virus has spread to the country's capital Ulan Bator and all 21 provinces.

Ulan Bator, which is home to over half of the country's total population, is the hardest hit by Covid-19. More than 81,100 of the total confirmed cases in the country were detected in the capital city, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently, general hospitals of all 21 provinces and over 40 hospitals in the capital city are receiving only severe Covid-19 patients. Due to a shortage of hospital beds and medical staff, the country has been treating asymptomatic or mild Covid-19 patients at their homes since March.

Meanwhile, around or over 10 people have lost their lives in the country per day in recent days due to the disease. The country's national death toll rose to 487 after 10 fatalities were reported in the past day.

Mongolia lacks medicines and equipment that are essential for critically ill Covid-19 patients, according to the country's health ministry.

The Asian country launched a national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in late February, with the aim of covering at least 60 per cent of its total population.

A total of 1,918,397 Mongolians have so far received their first dose of vaccines, with 1,709,223 people having been fully vaccinated, according to the ministry.

"The majority of those infected have not been vaccinated or have received a first dose. Vaccine is the most important tool to reduce severe disease and save lives from the virus," Health Minister Sereejav Enkbold said, urging citizens to get vaccinated to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

Mongolia reported its first imported Covid-19 case in March 2020 and confirmed its first locally transmitted case in November.

Since then, the country has imposed several nationwide and partial lockdowns due to the pandemic.

The council of scientists under the country's State Emergency Commission has proposed to once again impose a nationwide lockdown to stop the Covid-19 surge.