It says the patient is an 80-year-old French national who arrived in the West African country on 29 February.

He is being treated at the same hospital for infectious diseases in the capital city, Dakar, where another Frenchman was hospitalised for coronavirus last week.

News of this second confirmed case in Senegal brings the total number of confirmed cases on the African continent to 12. Other countries with patients who tested positive for the virus are:

Algeria - five people

Egypt - two people

Morocco - one person

Nigeria - one person

Tunisia - one person

Senegal is one of the 33 sub-Saharan African nations with testing facilities for coronavirus. The authorities say they are well prepared to deal with the virus.

On Monday the World Health Organization (WHO) told the BBC it expected the remaining 14 sub-Saharan nations currently without testing equipment to gain facilities within a fortnight.

A face mask used for protection against coronavirus