Three suspected cases of Coronavirus reported in Farah, Ghor

KABUL (TOLO News): Local health officials on Tuesday reported three more suspected cases of coronavirus in Afghanistan, one in the north-western province of Ghor and two in the western province of Farah.

Two men suspected to have coronavirus infection were quarantined at a health facility in Farah, a local health official, Abdul Jabar Shayiq, said, adding that “the men newly arrived in the province from Iran.”

“The two men had some signs of the coronavirus disease,” he said.

Juma Gul Yaqubi, head of Ghor Public Health Directorate, a 35-year-old man who recently arrived in the province from Iran has been registered as a suspected case.

Health officials also said that blood sample of the Farah resident has been sent to Kabul for diagnosis.

The public health minister Ferozuddin Feroz on Tuesday said seven suspected cases of coronavirus were reported in the western province of Herat which shares borders with Iran.

On Monday, the minister during a press conference in Kabul confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Herat.

It was the first reported case in Afghanistan.

In Iran, the virus has killed 12 while 61 cases of infection reported in this country, according to state media reports.

This comes as the European Union announced on Tuesday the allocation of €114 million to the World Health Organization for global response to coronavirus in countries with fragile health systems, including Afghanistan will also benefit.

Part of this fund will be allocated immediately to different sectors, while the rest will be released in the coming months, according to EU.

“As cases continue to rise, public health is the number one priority. Whether it be boosting preparedness in Europe, in China or elsewhere, the international community must work together. Europe is here to play a leading role,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.

Janez Lenarcic, Commissioner for Crisis Management, and European Emergency Response Coordinator said: “With more than 2,600 lives lost already, there is no option but to prepare at all levels. Our new aid package will support the World Health Organization and target funding to ensure countries with weaker health systems are not left behind. Our goal is to contain the outbreak at a global level.”

Following the developments in Italy, the Commission is stepping up its support to Member States in the context of the on-going work on preparedness, contingency and response planning.

Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety said: “In view of the rapidly evolving situation, we stand ready to increase our assistance. In this vein, a joint expert mission of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization will depart to Italy this week to support the Italian authorities.”