Afghanistan May be One of the Worst Countries in COVID-19 Infection in World

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that with almost 2,900 confirmed cases and 90 deaths as of May 5, in case of no urgent actions, up to 80 per cent of the country could be infected.

Ariana News Agency- 

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases suggests that Afghanistan could have one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the world, a global migration organisation has warned, voicing concern that the expansion of conflict in the war-torn country is exacerbating the disease response.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that with almost 2,900 confirmed cases and 90 deaths as of May 5, Afghan officials have emphasised that in the absence of urgent actions, up to 80 per cent of the country’s total population of 35 million could be infected.

“The number of confirmed cases suggests that Afghanistan could have one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the world.

“Furthermore in recent days, results of a randomised sample of 500 persons in Kabul, a city of between five and seven million people, showed an alarming infection rate of 50 per cent,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The global agency also warned that Afghanistan is struggling to safely absorb the more than 271,000 people who have returned from Iran and Pakistan since January amidst the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Further exacerbating the COVID-19 response is the expansion of the conflict over the past three months where security incidents and lack of access to non-government controlled areas means that there is no testing in over 30 per cent of the country.

Another grave concern is that Afghanistan has extremely limited infrastructure to treat severe cases.