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A second wave of coronavirus infections hitting African countries is "extremely aggressive" and stronger than the first, as fears mount new variants of the virus are behind the faster spread.

Since December, Africa has recorded the fastest rise in new cases in the world. The number of new infections rose by 13 per cent in the past week while it declined or stayed unchanged on every other continent, according to figures from the World Health Organization.

"I think this is serious, the second wave is extremely aggressive," Dr John Nkengasong, who heads the African Centres for Disease Control (CDC), said on Wednesday.