The number of COVID-19 infections in Africa surpassed the 8.48 million mark on Friday as the continent continues its efforts against the virus.

According to the latest data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 8,487,743 cases have been confirmed on the continent from 76,590,708 tests conducted since the onset of the pandemic.

The number of virus-related fatalities currently stands at 218,001.

The continent has however also registered 7,886,467 successful recoveries.

South Africa remains to be the hardest-hit by the pandemic, having recorded 2,921,114 infections with 89,104.

Morocco, with 945,504 infections, has the second-highest national caseload in Africa, while Tunisia's 25,227 deaths are the second-highest national death toll recorded on the continent.

Ten countries on the continent, including South Africa and Morocco, have reported more than 200,000 cases.

Various countries on the continent have rolled out containment measures in efforts to curb further spread of the virus. These include nationwide curfews, bans on public gatherings, mandatory wearing of face coverings and more.

Most countries have also embarked on mass vaccination drives, albeit at slower paces that the rest of the world.

An increase in the arrival of vaccines over the last three months has however sparked optimism that the continent can boost its vaccinations.