QUITO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador on Monday reported a total of 101,751 cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and 6,083 deaths from the disease since the pandemic hit the South American country over five months ago.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, in the previous 24 hours, tests detected 209 new cases and 13 more patients died, indicating the epidemic is still growing in Ecuador, which has the seventh largest outbreak in Latin America.

The capital Quito, home to 2.8 million residents, is the current national epicenter of the outbreak, with 18,600 people testing positive.

Local authorities have launched a tracking scheme to contain the spread of the virus in Quito by identifying contacts of confirmed patients for targeted testing and follow up.

In seven Quito districts with large outbreaks, 11 medical tents have been set up to detect potential cases, and mobile brigades deployed to hard-hit neighborhoods to attend to patients with COVID-19 symptoms.

Quito has seen a rebound in cases since lockdown rules were relaxed on June 3 to reactivate the economy.

On Aug. 14, the government extended a nationwide state of emergency for 30 more days to help fight the spread of the virus.

Staff transfer medical materials donated by the Ecuador Branch of China Road and Bridge Corporation to support Ecuador's fight against COVID-19 in Quito, Ecuador, April 16, 2020. (File photo: Xinhua)