The World Health Organization Africa Region has warned that new and faster spreading COVID-19 variants are fueling Africa's surging third wave. The UN Health agency says cases in Africa have increased for six weeks running, rising by 25 percent.

And as CGTN's Daniel Arap Moi reports, with infection rates doubling on the continent , focus is fast shifting to the new COVID-19 strains.

The Delta variant is reportedly spreading to a growing number of countries. It has has so far been reported in sixteen African countries, including nine with surging cases.

"With the rampant spread of more contagious variants, the threat to Africa rises to a whole new level. Among the fourteen African countries now in resurgence, twelve have detected variants of concern including nine with the delta variant. As WHO, we are supporting countries to track down variants in coordination with a network of reference laboratories," Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa says.

In Uganda for instance, the Delta variant has been detected in 97 percent of samples sequenced, and 79 percent in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

66 percent of all severe illness in people younger than 45 years in Uganda, is being attributed to the Delta variant.

"Some evidence also suggests that the Delta variant is linked to people experiencing longer or more severe illness. This is consistent with devastating news being reported in countries of scores of patients dying due to a lack of oxygen supplies, " says Dr. Matshidiso.

With rising case numbers and hospitalizations, WHO estimates that oxygen demand in Africa could rise above 50 percent.

The World Health Organization has made a call for everyone to act now and boost preventive measures to stop an emergency, becoming a tragedy.