Latest news and happenings of Afghanistan and region…
Officials in the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) says the second doctor has died of the coronavirus in Kabul.
The spokesman of MoPH, Wahidullah Mayar said that Yusuf Aryubi, a doctor at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul, has died of the coronavirus.
He is the second reported health worker to be a victim of COVID-19 in Afghanistan.
Previously, Hanifulllah Hanif, a doctor at Amiri hospital in Kabul has died of the coronavirus.
Three U.S. government contractors who tested positive for the novel coronavirus were evacuated out of Afghanistan on Saturday, according to US Air Mobility Command.
The contractors were flown on a C-17 aircraft to Ramstein, Germany, where they’ll receive treatment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Their evacuation from Afghanistan marked the first time the U.S. military has transported coronavirus-positive patients since the outbreak began.
As of Friday, 205 US Department of Defense contractors were living with coronavirus, according to Pentagon data. Another 2,031 service members and 493 DOD civilian employees also had confirmed cases.
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) says at least 52 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus were reported in the country during the past 24 hours.
The spokesman of MoPH, Wahidullah Mayar declared that the new cases include 28 in Kabul, 8 in Kandahar, 7 in Herat, 4 in Balkh, 2 in Bamyan, one in Nangarhar, Helmand and Paktia each.
According to Mayar, at least one person was recovered during the past 24 hours and one other died of the coronavirus.
This comes as the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country reaches to 607 patients with 38 recovered and 19 deaths.
The European Union has announced 117 million euros (128 million US dollars) for Afghanistan to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
EU in a statement said that Afghanistan may be “severely” affected by the pandemic as its public health system is “weakened by years of conflict and has to cope with limited resources, and is not accessible throughout the country.
TheEU response, amounting to 117 million euros, is directed to tackling the pandemic and addressing its health and socio-economic impacts. This includes 50 million euros in additional fundingto strengthen Afghanistan’s health system.
This will help making human and material resources, such as testing and treatment equipment, available for a specific response to the COVID-19 crisis while allowing for the continuation of ongoing key basic services such as maternal and child care, the statement added.
