ADDIS ABABA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) John Nkengasong has commended China's efforts in helping African countries access COVID-19 vaccines.

Speaking to Xinhua on Sunday, Nkengasong said the continent has set a minimum target of at least 60 percent of COVID-19 vaccine immunization.

"We appreciate what China is doing on the continent, and we call on others to join this effort," Nkengasong said.

According to the latest figures from the Africa CDC, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 3,955,148 as of Sunday, while the death toll related to the pandemic reached 105,490.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said that some 3,533,574 COVID-19 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far.

The countries with the highest number of confirmed positive cases are South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Ethiopia, the agency noted.

Meanwhile, the Africa CDC director stressed that amid the ongoing continental fight against the pandemic, African countries face several challenges, with timely access to vaccines and pandemic fatigue the two most pressing at the moment.

"We know that vaccines are the most important weapon to fight disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic," Nkengasong said.

"Our population have begun to face what is called pandemic fatigue. We have been doing this for one year and people are getting tired," he said, emphasizing the need to strictly adhere to public health precautionary messages.