Members of the African Union (AU) Center for Disease Control and Prevention participate in the China-Africa Video Conference on COVID-19 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 18, 2020. (Photo by Shiferaw Tadesse/Xinhua)
The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent has reached 221 as confirmed positive cases surpassed 6,213. Some 469 people who have been infected with the COVID-19 have recovered across the continent.
ADDIS ABABA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent has reached 221 as confirmed positive cases surpassed 6,213, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed on Thursday.
The Africa CDC, a specialized agency of the 55-member African Union (AU), in its latest situation update issued on Thursday said the cases were spread across 49 African countries.
The continental disease control and prevention agency also disclosed that the highly COVID-19 affected countries include South Africa with 1,380 confirmed cases, Algeria with 716 confirmed cases as well as Egypt with 779 confirmed cases.
The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 469 people who have been infected with the COVID-19 have recovered across the continent as of the stated period.
People wearing masks walk in Fann hospital where most COVID-19 patients are treated in Dakar, Senegal, on March 27, 2020. (Photo by Eddy Peters/Xinhua)
Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the African continent, figures from the Africa CDC also show that more than 427 new confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported across the continent since the center's recent report on Wednesday.
The death toll increased from 196 to 221 as of the stated period, according to the Africa CDC.
The African Union, through Africa CDC, has already activated its Emergency Operations Center and its Incident Management System (IMS) for the COVID-19 outbreak on January 27.
The Africa CDC had also developed its third Incident Action Plan that covers the period from March 16 to April 15. ■