The number of COVID-19 cases in Africa as of Monday stood at 1,577,644 with 38,396 deaths, according to data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest figures come even as the World Health Organization noted that the continent was the only region globally that was not seeing an increase in its caseload.
South Africa remains the hardest-hit country on the continent, having registered 692,471 infections and 17,780 fatalities.
Morocco (152,404) and Egypt (104,516) are the second and third worst-affected countries respectively, and are the only others apart from South Africa to have recorded more than 100,000 cases.
The three countries account for 60.18 percent of Africa’s COVID-19 caseload.
Further on, Ethiopia (84,295), Nigeria (60,266) and Algeria (53,072) join the top three as the only African countries to have reported more than 50,000 COVID-19 cases.
In terms of reported deaths, Algeria (1,801), Ethiopia (1,287) and Nigeria (1,115) are the only African countries apart from South Africa, Morocco and Egypt that have registered more than 1,000 fatalities.
In his speech on Monday at the Financial Times Africa Summit, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom urged African countries to bolster their health systems in order to better prepare the continent for any health crises that may arise in the future.
“Health is a right for all people, not a privilege for those who can afford it,” he said.
“Ultimately, strong, resilient health systems are the best defence against every health emergency, from the personal crisis of a stroke to a global pandemic.”
