CDC chief commends China's support

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, has commended China's efforts in helping African countries access COVID-19 vaccines.

Nkengasong said on Sunday the continent has set a minimum target of at least 60 percent of COVID-19 vaccine immunization.

"We appreciate what China is doing on the continent, and we call on others to join this effort," he said.

Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said the number of confirmed cases in Africa has reached 3,975,045 as of early Tuesday, while the death toll from pandemic hit 106,095.

The countries with the highest number of confirmed positive cases are South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia, it said.

The Africa CDC director stressed that African countries face several challenges in the fight against the pandemic, with timely access to vaccines and pandemic fatigue the two most pressing at the moment.

"We know that vaccines are the most important weapon to fight disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic," Nkengasong said.

"Our population have begun to face what is called pandemic fatigue. We have been doing this for one year and people are getting tired," he said, emphasizing the need to strictly adhere to public health precautionary messages.

Xinhua