FILE PHOTO: Tidjane Thiam, Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse, gestures as he speaks during a session at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

DUBAI (Reuters) - African Union (AU) special envoy Tidjane Thiam on Thursday said a widespread outbreak of the new coronavirus in Africa would be a disaster for the continent.

Africa, with 1.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people, has “no capacity” to treat COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, he said in an online conference.