Africa hit by sustained community spread of coronavirus -disease centre

Men wear protectives mask as they walk on a street in Adjame, area of Abidjan, Ivory Coast[Photo: Reuters]

Cases of community transmission of the new coronavirus are growing in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, and a new strategy for testing is needed to prevent this, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

Community transmission refers to cases where patients had no travel history or known contact with infected people - worrying for health workers because it means the virus is moving undetected through the population.