ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 8,797,227 as of Thursday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

Residents wearing face masks walk on a road in Gaborone, Botswana's capital city, Dec. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Tshekiso Tebalo)

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), said the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 224,231 while 8,152,116 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the agency.

According to the latest figures from the Africa CDC, the African continent presently represents 3.3 percent of all COVID-19 cases reported globally, as well as 4.3 percent of all COVID-19 related deaths globally.