“My first point for Africa, my first concern, is that a lack of testing is leading to a silent epidemic in Africa. So we must continue to push leaders to prioritise testing,” special envoy Samba Sow is reported to have told a news conference on Monday.

There have been almost 3,400 deaths and almost 115,000 infections across Africa according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control - so far much lower rates than in parts of Europe and the US.