Africa will likely see higher numbers of coronavirus contamination cases in coming weeks because of the height probability that some are slipping through the net, the head of a regional disease control body said on March 19.

“We are picking (up) some people but we are also missing some people,” said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which is a branch of the African Union bloc, Reuters reports.

“We are picking (up) some people but we are also missing some people,” added John Nkengasong.

Nkengasong said the number of confirmed cases on the continent was expected to rise in coming days and weeks and travel bans would delay but ultimately fail to contain the virus.

“Anyone who has followed pandemics over the years, you know that doesn’t work,” he told a conference in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. “When you lock down countries, you should understand clearly how to unlock the country.”