The number of COVID-19 infections in Africa surpassed the 9.33 million mark on Friday as the continent seeks to stop further spread of the new micron variant.

According to data published on Friday evening by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa had reported 9,335,901 confirmed cases with 226,878 deaths.

South Africa had registered the highest number of both cases and deaths, with 3,393,109 infections and 90,743 fatalities.

Besides South Africa, two more African countries have reported more than 500,000 COVID-19 cases; Morocco (954,199) and Tunisia (722,123).

The continent remains on high alert following the emergence of the Omicron strain, which has now spread to more than 100 countries globally.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the new variant is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease.

In efforts to contain the virus, African countries have embarked on mass vaccinations to better protect their populations.

According to the Africa CDC, some 8,467,210 people had recovered from COVID-19 by Friday.