The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 3,975,045 as of  Tuesday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union (AU), said the death toll related to the pandemic stood at 106,095, while some 3,552,813 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

The Africa CDC noted that the most affected countries in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases are South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

The AU had recently said that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic "is not just a severe health emergency, it is also a grave economic and social crisis."

Meanwhile, the African continent has faced its first economic recession in 25 years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) report.

The report, entitled "Building Forward for an African Green Recovery", revealed that the continent faced its first recession in 25 years, with output losses due to COVID-19 estimated to be 99 billion U.S. dollars. 

(With input from agencies)