<p><a href="/en/afganistan/kabul" class="glossify-link">KABUL</a>, with officially reported cases as of July 18 reaching 35,000+ infections and 100+ deaths, according to a UNDP report.</p>
<p>These are likely to be under estimates as the daily new cases are in the order of seven hundred. Alarmingly, more than a third of the confirmed COVID19 cases are among doctors and healthcare staff.</p>
<p>The MoPH estimates the virus spreads at a Medium Infection Transmission rate and will reach its peak soon.</p>
<p>Afghanistan is struggling to create the required testing capacity being constrained by lack of personnel and medical equipment.</p>
<p>Invariably, the funding and equipment needs for the medical response is way off the ability of Afghanistan to cope.</p>
<p>In a recent interview with the Atlantic Council. President Ghani stated that his government envisions five phases in managing the COVID-19 outbreak and that the country is now in the Phase.</p>
<p>Adversity, He also stated that the economic consequence of the outbreak means that around 90% of the Afghan population requires food assistance and medical attention.</p>
<p>UNICEF assessed that around 12 million Afghans could be pushed to food security deprivation. If these people are unable to go back to being food secure, the incidence of multi-dimensional poverty could rise from51.7%to 61.4%</p>
<p>OCHA warned about bigger Food security risk, and rank Afghanistan among the top 5 countries in the <a href="/en/world" class="glossify-link">World</a> crisis may therefore rapidly evolve into a dean transportation have also been disrupted and domestic activity has slowed down sharply.</p>
<p>This is threatening the livelihood of thousands of Afghan families as border closures and panic-buying has led to a spike in prices of some food stuffs.</p>
<p>The UNDP Has Worked with the Afghan Government since the early days of the pandemic re-oriented its programs in a way to incorporate COVID-19 impact in its short-medium-and longer-term support to development in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>The rationale of UNDP’s involvement and support are based on the following premise:</p>
<p>If health system responses to COVID-19 at subnational level are strengthened, if integrated assessments and labour market so n the impact of COVID-19 on <a href="/en/society" class="glossify-link">society</a> and local economy are conducted and if in formation gap so n the threats posed by COVID-19 in border areas are identified and addressed then, Afghanistan national and sub-national authorities will be able to recognize and address emerging and long-term needs, be better prepared to contribute to the COVID-19 Socioeconomic Response Framework ,and communities will be more resilient to shocks and better prepared to build back better in the short and long term because of evidence-based planning and programming.</p>
<p>UNDP intends to leverage funds in collaboration with other donors such as for example the WorldBank’s HEAT (High Expertise Advisory Team). This initiative offers leading expertise that is a ligned with the four priority areas of the COVID-19 2. 0 Offer (Governance, Social Protection, Green Economy, and Digital Disruption). HEAT aims to assist senior government officials in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and through future oriented strategies: beyond recovery.</p>
<p>This report describes the current situation and challenges in combatting COVID-19 ; then presents the results of select simulations; first; regarding the likely impact of COVID-19 on GDP due to disruptions in regional and global trade flows; second, options to finance the immediate needs in the health sector; third; the budgetary implications of income support and civil work programs. This is followed by some policy recommendations and how UNDP can and plans to assist the Government to overcome the adverse effects of the pandemic and beyond that set Afghanistan in a pathway to sustainable and equitable development.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/old/UNDP Afghanistan Covid19 Note - 26 July.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Complete Report Here</strong></a></p>
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