Benin record its first COVID-19 death on Sunday, the country's health minister Benjamin Hounkpatin announced on Monday.

Hounkpatin made the announcement in a press conference in Porto-Novo, noting that the patient was a 43-year-old woman who had been suffering from sickle cell disease.

The woman returned to the West African country from a COVID-19-affected country and had spent several days in a private clinic in Cotonou, the economic capital of the country.

Benin is one of over 50 African states that have recorded cases of COVID-19. The country has reported 22 confirmed cases according to the John Hopkins University.

Africa's confirmed COVID-19 cases have surpassed 9,000, with over 400 deaths. Over 800 patients have recovered.