JOHANNESBURG — The head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “we continue to remain hopeful” that Tanzania will cooperate by sharing its COVID-19 data even as the country’s president declared victory over the pandemic.

John Nkengasong says “they understand exactly what is at stake” in the East African nation, which has not updated its virus data since late April.

Tanzania’s number of cases remains frozen at 509, while opposition leaders have asserted there are actually tens of thousands.

President John Magufuli at a church service on Sunday declared that “corona in our country has been removed by the powers of God,” and he praised the congregation for not wearing face masks. He has warned that masks not approved by the government could be infected with the virus.