Coronavirus Spreads to Sub-Saharan Africa as Nigeria Confirms First Case

People walk inside the Yaba Mainland hospital compound where the first patient with the COVID-19 virus is being treated in Lagos, Nigeria on Feb. 28, 2020. Nigeria's health authorities have reported the country's first case of a new coronavirus in Lagos, the first confirmed appearance of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo

The new coronavirus spread to Nigeria on Friday, as officials confirmed the first patient with COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa.

International officials have repeatedly warned that the virus could wreak havoc on weaker health systems and have focused efforts on trying to bolster such systems, particularly in African countries.