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NAIROBI, May 7-- Africa is registering a surge in new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections, putting the continent on the spot as cases surpass the 50,000. The number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across Africa rose from 49,352 from Wednesday afternoon to 51,698 as of Thursday morning, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Thursday. From Nigeria in the west to South Africa and Kenya in the east, COVID-19 cases are accelerating at an alarming rate as most countries engage in mass testing. The World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office notes in its latest update that the disease has evolved since the first case was reported on February 14 in Egypt. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to over 30 countries in less than a month, and it is now affecting 53 member states except Lesotho. In Kenya, COVID-19 cases have taken a sharp trajectory since Monday, with the east African nation registering the highest cases in a day on Wednesday at 47. Infections stood at 607 on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Health of Kenya, with the disease said to be spreading in the community, especially in the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa. "We are seeing deaths at a community level which is a concern to us since it is a sign of intense transmission of the disease," said Patrick Amoth, Kenya's director-general of health. | 
