Covid-19 kills over 7,600 people in Afghanistan so far

KABUL (Pajhwok): The World Health Organization (WHO) says over 7,600 people have died since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, including 97 health workers, while the Ministry of Public Health says the number is much higher than WHO figures.

WHO in a report today said that 4,749 positive Covid-19 cases have been reported in Afghanistan since 2020, most of them in Herat, Kabul, Nangarhar, Balkh and Kunar provinces.

The organization says that since the beginning of the Covid-19epidemic, a total of 176,229 positive cases have been identified, of which more than 7640 people have died.

In week 10-2022, 6,028 samples were tested in public labs, of which 1,477 samples tested positive for COVID-19 (percent positivity 25) and 18 new deaths were reported, the source said.

WHO says that this statistic shows a 24 percent increase in positive cases and a 38 percent decrease in deaths compared to the ninth week of 2022.

In week 10, 2022, the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases were reported in the Central East and West regions (391 and 358 cases, respectively). The top five provinces that reported positive cases included Herat (324 cases), Kapisa (253 cases), Kandahar (233 cases), Nangarhar (94 cases), and Logar (71 cases), the organization said.

Meanwhile, Dr.JavidHajir, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said that 7656 people had died in Afghanistan since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, of which 104 were health workers.

He said that out of 765 tests taken, 64 were positive, 179 people recovered and two people died in Nangarhar province from the disease.

mds/ma