People wait to get tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a mobile testing lab in Tunis, Tunisia Oct 7, 2020. (Photo: Agencies)

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent has reached 1,636,748 as of Sunday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of African Union Commission, said in a statement that the number of deaths due to illnesses related to the pandemic reached 39,559 as of Sunday afternoon.

The Africa CDC said the number of people who have recovered from the infectious virus across the continent has reached 1,347,199.

The most COVID-19 affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

The Southern Africa region is the most affected region both in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases as well as the number of deaths.

The Northern Africa region is the second most affected African region, according to the Africa CDC.