Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], December 31 (HornbillTV/ANI): A total of 9.594,088 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Africa as of Thursday evening, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) said the death toll across the continent has risen to 228,081 with 8,603,499 recoveries.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia are among the countries hardest hit by COVID-19 in terms of caseload on the continent, said Africa CDC.

South Africa has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Africa with 3,433,554 cases, followed by the northern African country Morocco with 959,098 cases as of Thursday evening, it said.

 In terms of the caseload, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the continent, while central Africa is the least affected region, according to the Africa CDC.