Confirmed coronavirus cases increase by 42% in Africa in last week

Johannesburg, May 6 (AP) The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa has shot up 42 per cent in the week ending Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The number of cases is expected to surpass 50,000 later Wednesday, and the number of deaths could top 2,000. All but one of Africa's 54 countries, tiny Lesotho, has reported virus cases.

The World Health Organization has warned that Africa could become the next epicenter of the pandemic. Severe shortages of testing kits mean the number of actual cases across the continent is unknown.

In Somalia, aid groups are warning that the number of virus cases is far higher than the 835 reported. The country has one of the world's weakest health systems. Twelve African nations now have more than 1,000 confirmed cases. (AP) INDIND