Afghanistan’s Covid-19 cases climb to 1,026

The Health Ministry official also confirmed that the head of Shinozada hospital in Kabul has died after contracting the contagion. The hospital was closed several days ago after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed, he said.

At least 30 new positive coronavirus cases have been reported in the past 24 hours in Afghanistan, taking the total to 1,026 on Monday, health authorities were quoted by Tolo News.

Afghan health workers in protective gears wait to check people before Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani inauguration as president, at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan March 9, 2020. (Reuters)

Fifteen new positive coronavirus cases were reported in Kabul, 6 in Herat, 4 in Laghman and Kunar each, while one in Nangarhar province in the past 24 hours, Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, said at a press conference.

The official also confirmed that the head of Shinozada hospital in Kabul has died after contracting the contagion. The hospital was closed several days ago after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed, he said.

Regarding the lack of testing kits in Kabul and other provinces, Mayar said: “We will receive 5,000 kits today from the UN,” adding that “more will be bought to solve the problem.”

The number of deaths from the COVID-19 disease globally is more than 165,238, and more than 2.4 million have been infected with the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.