Africa reports sharp decline in new infections

Africa's top public health official says the continent has seen a 20 per cent decrease in confirmed coronavirus cases in the past week, but he warns that "we shouldn't go home celebrating that our pandemic is over". The African continent has reported more than 1.2 million confirmed cases, roughly half in South Africa.

Africa's top public health official says the continent has seen a 20 per cent decrease in confirmed coronavirus cases in the past week, but he warns that "we shouldn't go home celebrating that our pandemic is over". John Nkengasong with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells reporters that testing and other efforts to contain the virus are largely working, but just one or two cases could reignite infections.

He says 23 of Africa's 54 countries have reported a sustained decrease in new confirmed cases in the past couple of weeks. The African continent has reported more than 1.2 million confirmed cases, roughly half in South Africa. More than 11 million tests for the virus have been conducted across the continent of 1.3 billion people, and Nkengasong says the new goal is an additional 20 million tests by November.