Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Afghanistan + 2 more

Afghanistan Flash Update: Daily Brief: COVID-19, No. 50 (4 June 2020)

Attachments

Key Messages:

• People confirmed to have COVID-19: 18,054 (as of 2pm, 4 June. Source: Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health - MoPH)

• Deaths from COVID-19: 300

• Samples tested: 43,569 Key concerns: Border crossing areas, in-country testing capacity, protective equipment for frontline workers, commodity prices, messaging and rumour management, international air services

Situation Overview:

MoPH data shows that 18,054 people across all 34 provinces in Afghanistan are now confirmed to have COVID19. Some 1,585 people have recovered, and 300 people have died (13 of which are healthcare workers). 43,569 people out of the population of 37.6 million have been tested. Afghanistan has a test-positivity-rate – positive tests as a percentage of total tests – of more than 41 per cent. . More than five per cent of the total confirmed COVID-19 cases are among healthcare staff. The majority of the deaths were people between ages of 40 and 69. Men in this age group represent more than half of all COVID-19-related deaths. With a fragile health system, a developing economy and underlying vulnerabilities, the people of Afghanistan are facing extreme consequences from the COVID19 pandemic. Cases are expected to continue to increase over the weeks ahead as community transmission escalates, creating grave implications for Afghanistan’s economy and people’s well-being. Kabul remains the most affected part of the country in terms of confirmed cases, followed by Hirat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar. COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on women, children and people with specific needs, as well as displaced people and those deprived of their liberty.

There have been issues with laboratories in Kandahar and Nangarhar that have meant they were unable to conduct tests for several days this month. The Kandahar lab remains closed after a problem with contamination of the facility. According to WHO in the east, four out of five PCR lab technicians there also tested positive for COVID-19 rendering the Jalalabad PCR lab temporarily out of service and causing delays in the processing of samples. Two technicians were deployed from Kabul and the Nangarhar laboratory has since been back up and running.

Disclaimer

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.