The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday said that African countries have conducted more than 11.8 million COVID-19 tests so far.
The Africa CDC, specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) Commission, also disclosed that the 11.8 million tests for COVID-19 tests conducted across the African continent so far has a 10.7 percent positivity rate.
According to the continental disease control and prevention agency, the number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 1,260,400 on Wednesday as the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has climbed to 30,065.
The Africa CDC also said that the number of COVID-19 recoveries in the continent passed the one million mark for the first time, as some 1,001,581 people who were infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent so far.
The Africa CDC also noted that five African countries account for over 70 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent that are South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
Speaking to Xinhua recently, John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director, had noted that the number of COVID-19 testing in Africa is “encouraging.” The director, however, stressed that African countries still need to intensify their testing capabilities.
Nkengasong also emphasized that as a continent Africa needs to conduct about 15 million tests per month to be ahead of the pandemic.
The Africa CDC had in June launched a continental Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT) in Africa, which is led by three pillars that are testing, tracing, and treating.
According to Nkengasong, the continental initiative is envisaged to test individuals for COVID-19 on the continent, trace by identifying cases and contacts, and provide treatment and supportive care for patients.
XINHUA
