Six out of every seven cases of the crown disease being diagnosed in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
It has calculated according to a formula that looks at recorded deaths and visa-related mortality rates
So far only eight million Covid cases have been recorded but WHO now estimates that the actual figure is 59 million.
In general, the only people who are tested are those who show up at health and symptomatic centers and those who intend to travel abroad. This means that a large number of cases of people with symptoms do not appear to exist and cause further infection.
To address this, the WHO is proposing further social inspections in eight countries targeting seven million people and rapid testing in the coming year.
"Despite the low rate of testing, we are still living in so many communities in Africa ... More testing means faster isolation, fewer infections, and more lives saved through targeted interventions," said WHO Africa Africa director Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.
Burundi, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Congo-Brazzaville, Senegal, and Zambia will participate.
There has been a shortage of newly recorded cases, and the WHO says because of low vaccination rates, Covid is still a threat to many.
