MOGADISHU (SD) – Somali health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 136 more cases of COVID-19, raising the national tally to 16,535.

Of the new cases, 56 were female while 80 were male.

The ministry confirmed that Somali capital had recorded 60. Somaliland and Jubbaland each recorded 12 and 48 cases respectively.

Galmudug, Jubbaland and Southwest states registered 8, 6 and 2 respectively.

According to a statement by the ministry, five patients succumbed to the deadly virus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 897.

The ministry also said 41 more people have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 8,010.

Last Week, the country received 302,400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, donated by the US through the COVAX facility, a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Health Ministry acknowledged that “COVID-19 vaccination uptake among the general population remains low” in Somalia.

According the ministry, as of August, only 93,458 people had been fully vaccinated in the country of over 15 million.