ADDIS ABABA - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent reached 3,494,117 as of Thursday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

According to the continental disease control and prevention agency's COVID-19 dashboard, the death toll related to the pandemic in Africa stood at 87,937 as of Thursday.

A total of 2,977,335 people infected with COVID-19 have recovered across the continent so far, the agency disclosed.

The Southern Africa region is the most affected area in Africa in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases, followed by the Northern Africa region, according to the agency.

The most affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia, said the Africa CDC.

South Africa has reported the highest COVID-19-inflicted deaths in Africa, at 42,550 as of Thursday, according to the Africa CDC.

Meanwhile, the Africa CDC on Thursday emphasized the crucial need to intensify COVID-19 testing and tracing so as to effectively control the virus and limit transmission across the continent.

"Testing is the number one tool to fight this pandemic because without testing we will be fighting blindly," an Africa CDC statement quoted John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC, as saying on Thursday.

"We also need to trace people who are infected, isolate them and treat them," the Africa CDC director said, adding "by supporting AU member states to do more testing and tracing to identify and isolate infected persons, we will be able to control the virus and limit transmission".