Next aid from China against virus soon: Envoy

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: Afghanistan’s Ambassador to China Javed Qaem on Wednesday said efforts were underway to gain further assistance from the neighboring country for prevention of Covid-19, but what the Afghans needed the most was to practice Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)’s guidelines.

Qaem told Pajhwok Afghan News during an inclusive interview that government factories in China had resumed productions and they had collected and already shared with MoPH the prices of important and necessary equipment.

He said, “China and other countries will support us in this regard, but practicing the guidelines will have more effect than the foreign aid.”

He said on April 2, the Chinese Ambassador in Kabul handed over the first batch of Covid-19 prevention materials to the Afghan government.

He said further assistance from China was expected over the next two weeks, saying the Chinese government besides the first batch of Covid-19 prevention materials was also sharing experience of the battle against COVID-19 with the Afghan government.

He said the Chinese government and doctors also shared information and experiences with a number of Asian countries, including Afghanistan, through video conferences in recent past.

He said, “I have been in contact with Afghan traders who have also promised assistance with the Afghan government.’’ He said all stranded Afghan students in Wuhan city of China were safe and they had been in contact with them.

It worth mentioning that after emerging in Wuhan last December, the COVID-19 disease spread to at least 200 countries, affecting a large number of individuals.

In the initial weeks, mostly Chinese people were infected and killed by the pandemic, which has now been controlled by Beijing. But the virus is currently spreading rapidly in Europe and America.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths around the world has reached 126,000, with more than two million people infected by the pandemic, news reports say.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Public Health said 70 new COVID-19 cases had been registered in Afghanistan, taking the nation’s tally to 784. (Pajhwok)