Cameroon on Friday reported 203 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 509, Health Minister Manaouda Malachie said at a press briefing.

Among those 509 cases, there are eight deaths including a health professional, and 17 recoveries, he added.

The Cameroonian health authorities tested 800 people, "mostly travelers," before obtaining positive results for the 203 new cases who are asymptomatic, Manaouda tweeted later in the evening.

"Our active case finding strategy is starting to pay off," he added.

Cameroon has the second largest caseload of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa, which has more than 1,500 confirmed cases, according to official statistics.