Just 20 of Africa's 54 countries have fully vaccinated at least 10 per cent of their populations against the virus, which has produced multiple variants since its discovery.

The South African government said on Friday it had identified a new variant of the coronavirus that is driving a second wave of infections.

Karina Gould said the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa is rising, which is worrying because the continent doesn't have the safety net to ward off an impending socioeconomic crisis that would accompany a health emergency.