Covid-19 cases have risen by over 20 per cent week-on-week in nearly two dozen African countries and progress on vaccinating Africans is proceeding slowly, with just 0.79pc of people on the continent fully vaccinated, according to senior health officials.

"Africa is in the midst of a full blown third wave ... We’ve seen in India and elsewhere how quickly Covid-19 can rebound and overwhelm health systems," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, told a news conference.

New cases are up nearly 30pc in the past week and deaths are up by 15pc, she said, with five countries — South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda and Namibia — accounting for 76pc of the new cases.

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