KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan is facing an upsurge in Covid-19 cases as the disease infected more than 11,700 people in about two months and claimed 26 lives in the past 20 days.
Fear about the infection has decreased among people who do not consider necessary precautions. In December 2019, the corona virus first appeared in Wuhan, China and then spread all over the world.
More than 548 million people have been infected with Covid-19 in the world and more than 6.3 million people have died from the infection and more than 520 million people have recovered from it.
In Afghanistan, so far more than 182,000 people contracted the disease, with 7717 people losing their lives and more than 164000 others recovering. The virus is yet to be contained and still many people get infected and some lose their lives.
In Afghanistan, more than 11,700 cases of coronavirus were registered in about two months. According to a Pajhwok Afghan News report (on the 26th of Zamri month), more than 6,860 people got infected with the virus in Afghanistan in the last 50 days and 36 people lost their battle for life.
Ministry of Public Health spokesman Dr. Sharaf Zaman Amar told Pajhwok Afghan News that 4845 positive cases of Covid-19 were registered in the country during the last 20 days and of them 26 people died and more than 2700 recovered.
Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Afghanistan, but unlike the past, people are not afraid of it and do not adopt any preventive measures.
Jamil Mubarak, a resident of Kabul, said he was feeling Covid-19 symptoms for last several days. He said most people now did not consider the disease seriously.
He said he attended the wedding of a close relative at a hotel last night. He wore a mask and tried to maintain distance from the guests, but everyone wanted to huge him.
Ahmad Tahir, a resident of Qanbar intersection in Kabul, said: “Corona cases may have increased, but neither I nor other people are afraid of it. When this disease newly appeared, the media scared people, saying that coffins are in short supply and that the municipality is facing a shortage of places to bury the dead… this was the reason why people were so scared.”
Another resident of Kabul city, Jamil Ahmed, also said corona patients and other people did not follow heath guidelines to prevent the disease from spreading to others.
He said Covid-19 patients went to crowded places without keeping distance and using masks and the positive cases increased again due to carelessness.
Afghan-Japan hospital: Necessary preparations in place for Covid-19 patients
A doctor at the Afghan-Japan Hospital dedicated to treating people infected with coronavirus in Kabul, Zalmi Rekhtin, without giving details said the number of Covid-19 patients in the hospital had somewhat increased recently.
About facilities for Covid-19 patients at the hospital, he said the facilities and equipment remained the same as they were in the republic. “We don’t have any special problems, we have signed contracts and the World Health Organization (WHO) is also cooperating.”
He added although there was no need for quarantine now, people should practice the guidelines of the Ministry of Public Health to keep a normal distance, wash hands with soap and use anti-septic materials.
The doctor said their hospital was prepared if the number of Covid-19 patients increased. “The Ministry of Public Health should accelerate the campaign at preventing coronavirus,” he suggested.
Dr. Samiullah Sami, who has a private clinic in Kabul, confirmed receiving some patients with Covid-19 symptoms. “We give necessary instructions to Corona patients and also prescribe medicine if their condition is serious.”
He said the Ministry of Public Health should once again speed up its campaign to prevent the coronavirus in order to rein in its spread otherwise it will be difficult to control it this time.
Dr. Sami blamed the increase in coronavirus cases on people’s carelessness, saying still some people did not believe the virus transmitted to others.
Ministry of Public Health spokesperson Dr. Sharafat Zaman Amar said about the increase in coronavirus patients in the country that the country’s border were open and people were traveling to neighboring countries, where the number of corona patients was high. “That’s why the graph raised here as well.”
He said the Ministry of Public Health used to make recommendations from time to time to prevent the virus and a decision about general quarantine would be made when the need arises. “Now there is no need for general quarantine”.
According to him, the Ministry of Health is trying to reach all areas where work is still needed.
Dr. Sharafat said they had made good achievements in providing equipment in many areas, citing the establishment of a genomic sequencing laboratory for corona patients in Kabul as an example.
According to his information, currently 23 different hospitals are operating in Afghanistan to prevent coronavirus.
ma
Views: 237
GET IN TOUCH
NEWSLETTER
SUGGEST A STORY
PAJHWOK MOBILE APP