The virus cases in South Africa were in control for the past several months but the country registered a three-fold increase recently as health minister Joe Phaahla said the development was worrying.
More than two-thirds of Africans may have contracted Covid-19 over the past two years, around 97 times more than reported infections, a World Health Organization report suggested on Thursday.
The AU has wrapped up its yearly summit in Addis Ababa, as the continent reels from a string of coups, the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity and regional crises. But the path ahead is still not completely clear.
The UK government has added Nigeria to its "red list" countries. Under it, people entering Britain must go into 10-day quarantine, the costs of which must be borne by the individual.
President Biden said that while restrictions imposed on travelers from several nations in southern Africa would slow the variant's entry, the U.S. will eventually see cases.