NAIROBI, Kenya — Africa has surpassed 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases as the continent’s top public health official warns that “we are inevitably edging toward a second wave” of infections.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the 54-nation continent with 1.3 billion people has more than 48,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths The infections and deaths make up less than 4% of the global total.

The Africa CDC director John Nkengasong recommends vigilance for prevention measures as countries loosen pandemic restrictions to ease economic hardship and more people travel.

WHO says nearly 20 countries in Africa have more than a 20% increase in cases in the past month. This time, the surge is driven not by South Africa, but by North African nations as temperatures fall there.

South Africa leads with more than 750,000 cases, followed by Morocco (300,000), Egypt (110,000) and Ethiopia (100,000).

While there’s early hope for promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates, African health officials are concerned about cold storage of the vaccine and richer countries buying up supplies.